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Apple's latest macOS Big Sur beta mentions three unreleased Macs

Are these the first Apple silicon Macs?
Oliver Haslam

How to download and install macOS Big Sur beta to your MacSource: Rene Ritchie

What you need to know

  • Apple released macOS Big Sur 11.0.1 beta 1 to developers yesterday.
  • There are references to three unannounced Macs in that update.
  • It's possible these are the first Apple silicon Macs.

References to three unannounced Macs have been found in the first beta of macOS Big Sur 11.0.1. The new Macs carry a generic identifier right now, so it's impossible to know what they will be.

The references were spotted by 9to5Mac and can be found in a location where similar discoveries have been made in the past.

Within the /System/Library folder in macOS, Apple includes a variety of bundle files to identify different Mac models. For instance, there are files related to the 16-inch MacBook Pro, the 2020 13-inch MacBook Pro, and the 2020 27-inch iMac. In fact, these files were one of the early indications that a new 16-inch MacBook Pro was on its way back in 2019.

The three Macs are currently called:

  • MacHardwareTypes-2020f
  • MacHardwareTypes-2020g
  • MacHardwareTypes-2020h

We've heard rumors of late that Apple plans to hold a special event at some point in November, likely with Macs on the horizon. Could these references be the first Macs to ship with Apple silicon inside? It's a distinct possibility.

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Jon Prosser certainly seems to think so!

Apple has also said that there are more Intel Macs in the pipeline, however, so it's equally possible that's what we are seeing here. At leat we won't have to wait too long for some answers ā€“ November 17 isn't all that far away.