Apple Announces New Macs with M2, M2 Pro and Max Processors

With next to no fanfare, Apple announced four new Macs with updated M2 Pro/Max Processors. The four computers include two new 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro laptops in both M2 Pro and M2 Max configurations, plus a new M2 Mac Mini.

“The best just got better,” tweeted Apple CEO Tim Cook. “Meet MacBook Pro and Mac mini with the newest Apple silicon and more game-changing performance. From everyday productivity to the most demanding pro workflows, these new Macs continue to push the boundaries of what’s possible.”

The Chips:

Image Credit – Apple

M2 Pro

Apple introduced the M2 Pro today, with a supercharged M2 processor that has been scaled up using a 5nm process with forty billion transistors and unified high bandwidth memory. M2 Pro delivers 200GB of memory bandwidth and supports 32 GB of memory.

It has a 12 Core CPU with 8 HP cores, and 4 high-efficiency cores, yielding a modest 20 percent boost in performance over the M1 Pro variant. As for GPUs, the M2 Pro has a 19-core GPU capable of executing a thirty percent increase in graphics performance, and a 40% increase in neural engine performance.

Image Credit – Apple

M2 Max

The M2 Max combines the CPU performance of the M2 Pro with a more powerful GPU for 67 billion transistors, over three times that of the conventional M2 and 10 billion more than the previous M1 Max.

The result is 400GB of Unified RAM bandwidth through a 12-core CPU and 38-core GPU. The result is a desktop-class performance that is up to 30 percent faster than the M1 Max.

Image Credit – Apple

The Rigs:

Image Credit – Apple

Mac Mini

M2 comes to the Mac Mini, promising up to 50% higher performance for higher-end applications. Apple boasts that the Mac Mini is over five times faster than the fastest windows machine.

The Mini also comes in an M2 Pro configuration, making it fourteen times faster than the previous M1 Pro Mac Mini.

For creators, this means using native ProRes video files, plus editing from multiple camera connections in live streaming situations.

The M2 Mini also supports up to two displays, while the M2 Pro Mac Mini can support up to three displays including one 8K video display.

Image Credit – Apple

The Mac Mini comes with multiple Thunderbolt 4 ports (two on the M2 Mini and four on the M2 Pro Mini), an HDMI port, a Gigabit Ethernet port with a 10GB option, and an upgraded headphone jack. Both support WiFi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3.

Image Credit – Apple

MacBook Pro

“Whether you’re an artist, scientist, or developer, MacBook Pro is the go-to laptop loved by pros,” said Laura Meta, director of Mac Product Marketing.

The MacBook Pro also gets the M2 Pro treatment with two new 14-inch and 16-inch models and XDR displays.

The M2 Pro offers high performance and longer battery life that is up to eighty percent faster than the previous Intel-based i9 MacBook Pro and 20 percent better than the M1 Pro MacBook Pro.

Image Processing is forty percent faster than the previous M1 MacBook Pro and eighty percent faster than the fastest M1 MacBook Pro.

Image Credit – Apple

The MacBook Pro also comes in the M2 max, with up to two times faster performance over the fastest M2 Mac Pro and six times faster than an i9 Intel-based MacBook Pro.  The M2 Max also enjoys a tremendously long battery life of over 22 hours on a single charge.

The M2 Max MacBook Pro supports WiFi 6e, with HDMI 2.1 for multiple connections to advanced 8K video displays. With this increased performance, Apple says that content creators can now scream “death to proxies” when editing higher-end 8K video.

The new Mac Mini has a retail price starting at $599, and $499 for educators and students. The M2 Pro Mac Mini starts at $1299 and $1199 for educators and students.

The M2 Pro/Max Mac Pro has a retail price remaining at $1999 for the 14-inch model with educators and students enjoying a $150 discount), and $2499 for the 16-inch M2 Max MacBook Pro with a $200 price reduction for education.

Users can also receive credit by trading in their previous Mac Computers through Apple Trade In.

The 14-inch and 16-inch M2 Mac Pros and the M2 Mac Mini are available beginning Tuesday, January 24th.  Additional technical specifications, configure-to-order options, and accessories are available at apple.com/mac.

[source: Apple]

Order Links:

  • Apple MacMini with M2 Chip (B&H)
  • Apple MacMini with M2 Pro Chip (B&H)
  • Apple 14.2″ MacBook Pro with M2 Pro Chip, Space Gray (B&H)
  • Apple 16.2″ MacBook Pro with M2 Pro Chip, Space Gray (B&H)
  • Apple 14.2″ MacBook Pro with M2 Max Chip, Space Gray (B&H)
  • Apple 16.2″ MacBook Pro with M2 Max Chip, Space Gray (B&H)

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