The 13-inch M1 MacBook Pro's display in action
(Image credit: Tom's Guide)Update: MacBook Pro 2022 13-inch reportedly delayed beyond WWDC.
The MacBook Pro 2022 could be revealed very soon, if new supply chain rumors turn out to be accurate. In fact, we could see it as early as next month.
Previous rumors about the MacBook Pro 2022 had either not tipped a date for the new device or suggested it wouldn't arrive until the second half of the year. However, sources talking to DigiTimes claim that it will in fact launch in March, and that production lines at Apple's laptop suppliers were even kept open during the Lunar New Year holiday in order to meet demand.
The report is light on details, but states that the new MacBook Pro will be one of several new Apple products released in March and that it will be equipped with an Apple M2 chipset.
That fits in nicely with potential dates for the Apple Spring Event, but we are slightly skeptical given that a previous rumor suggested the MacBook Pro wouldn't arrive until the second half of 2022.
What's more, Apple just launched the MacBook Pro 14-inch (2021) and MacBook Pro 16-inch (2021) in October, so another Pro model so soon afterwards seems unlikely. A new MacBook Air 2022 is more realistic, particularly as that range hasn't been updated since the original MacBook Air with M1 arrived way back in November 2020.
We're not ruling it out, though, and if it does launch in March it would join a varied line-up of products expected at that Apple Spring Event. We now have good reason to think the iPhone SE 3, iPad Air 5 and iPad Pro 2022 will all debut in March, as well as possibly an iMac Pro and Mac mini.
We had already expected an M2 chip to power the new MacBook Pro, the follow-up to the Apple M1 chip that debuted in the most recent 2020 13-inch MacBook Pro. We don't expect it to outperform the M1 Pro or M1 Max chips available for the premium 14- or 16-inch MacBook Pro models, but it should still offer a nice performance boost over the basic M1.
However, beyond that new chip not much else is believed to be changing compared to the current 13-inch MacBook Pro. For instance, one recent rumor claims the new MacBook won't have the mini-LED, ProMotion displays seen on the 2021 MacBook Pros. There won't be a Touch Bar, either, according to that same rumor, but we don't think many people will be missing that.
Instead, we hope Apple decides to introduce some of the less flashy improvements it made to the 2021 MacBook Pros, such as the new MagSafe charging adapter and the HDMI and SD card ports for more versatile connectivity.
Either way, it sounds like once again this particular MacBook Pro will be a mid-range option that sits between the cheaper MacBook Air and the larger Pro models. And whether it arrives next month or doesn't surface until later in the year, it'll provide a good option for users who want a powerful laptop but don't need the overwhelming performance of a full-fat MacBook Pro.
