Did a Boot Camp update just out a new 2020 16-inch MacBook Pro?

By Oliver Haslam
published

16-inch MacBook Pro
16-inch MacBook Pro (Image credit: Rene Ritchie / iMore)

What you need to know

  • Apple's last 16-inch MacBook Pro arrived in 2019.
  • But a new Boot Camp update just referenced a 2020 version.
  • Is a new 16-inch MacBook Pro coming before year's end?

A new Boot Camp software update might have just outed an unreleased 16-inch MacBook Pro. Or it might not have. At this point, it isn't entirely clear.

Spotted by Apple Terminal, the new software update says that it fixes an issue relating to the "16-inch MacBook Pro (2019 and 2020)" which is odd. It's odd because the current 16-inch MacBook Pro was released at the end of 2019 – there is no 2020 model. At least, not yet.

The update states that it doubles down on stability issues under heavy CPU load for the 2019 16-inch MacBook Pro, and 2020 16-inch MacBook Pro and 13-inch MacBook Pro. All are true, expect, for Apple's reference of a 2020 16-inch MacBook Pro, which it has not officially released. The 16-inch MacBook Pro was released in Nov. of 2019, but a new option for the AMD 5600M GPU was added in June of this year.

And it's that GPU refresh that could be the issue here. Is it possible that Apple is calling that GPU refresh the 2020 16-inch MacBook Pro? It is, but even Apple's own documentation (opens in new tab) calls it the 2019 model at the time of writing.

At this point, it comes down to whether Apple considers the 16-inch MacBook Pro with the AMD 5600M GPU option as a "2020" model, or still "2019". Confirming the latter, Apple's technical specification sheet for the Mac references it as 2019, even with the AMD 5600M GPU.

So who knows. If Apple is indeed going to release an updated 16-inch MacBook Pro, will it ship with Apple silicon or Intel? Both are possible – Apple has already said that it has new Intel Macs alongside the first Macs running its own chips set for release before the end of the year.

So now, we wait. Apple is said to have a November special event planned so who knows – maybe that's where all of our questions will be answered.

Oliver Haslam
Oliver Haslam
Contributor

Oliver Haslam has written about Apple and the wider technology business for more than a decade with bylines on How-To Geek, PC Mag, iDownloadBlog, and many more. He has also been published in print for Macworld, including cover stories. At iMore, Oliver is involved in daily news coverage and, not being short of opinions, has been known to 'explain' those thoughts in more detail, too.

Having grown up using PCs and spending far too much money on graphics card and flashy RAM, Oliver switched to the Mac with a G5 iMac and hasn't looked back. Since then he's seen the growth of the smartphone world, backed by iPhone, and new product categories come and go. Current expertise includes iOS, macOS, streaming services, and pretty much anything that has a battery or plugs into a wall. Oliver also covers mobile gaming for iMore, with Apple Arcade a particular focus. He's been gaming since the Atari 2600 days and still struggles to comprehend the fact he can play console quality titles on his pocket computer.