The Apple Silicon MacBook era officially begins next week, and now we know how many products could launch when Tim Cook takes the virtual stage.
According to a new report in Bloomberg, Apple will launch as many as three new MacBooks at its “One More Thing” event on Nov. 10. You can expect at least a new 13-inch MacBook Air and a new 13-inch MacBook Pro.
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It’s also possible that a new 16-inch MacBook Pro with Apple Silicon will make an appearance. However, other than the new processor, you should not expect “significant design changes.”
The report says the new Apple Silicon MacBooks will be powered by an A14 chip — the same processor that’s found in the iPhone 12 and new iPad Air 4. Based on the iPhone 12 benchmarks we've run, Apple’s chip blows away all other Android phones, but it remains to be seen how it will stack up against Windows PCs.
The other benefit of Apple Silicon is efficiency. Based on a 5nm process, the ARM-based A14 should help the new MacBook Air and MacBook Pros last longer on a charge without growing the size of the battery.
Although Apple has said that it will take two years to transition away from Intel processors, the launch of these new MacBooks is a real threat to Intel. Intel’s latest Tiger Lake processor uses a 10nm process, and the chipmaker is starting to feel pressure not only from Apple but from Qualcomm.
Apple is also reportedly working on a new Apple Silicon iMac and and even a new Mac Pro that could be half the size of its current tower. However, it’s not clear whether the new Mac Pro will complement the existing model or replace it.
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