Report: Entry-level MacBook Pro with M2 chip coming this year

By Joe Wituschek
published

2021 Macbook Pro Back
2021 Macbook Pro Back (Image credit: Bryan M. Wolfe / iMore)

What you need to know

  • Bloomberg's Mark Gurman says that the entry-level MacBook Pro is getting an upgrade.
  • The next generation of the model may ditch the Touch Bar and add the rumored M2 chip.
  • It won't feature some of the higher-end features of the 14 and 16-inch versions.

When Apple announced the new 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro, many wondered if the 13-inch MacBook Pro, which Apple kept around with the M1 processor, would eventually ride off into the sunset.

According to Mark Gurman, however, the entry-level MacBook Pro isn't going away but actually is set to receive an upgrade. In the latest issue of his "Power On" newsletter, Gurman says that Apple will release a new version of the 13-inch MacBook Pro without a Touch Bar and with the rumored M2 processor.

Gurman says that it will still be without the higher-end features that come with the 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro like the Mini-LED display and ProMotion.

The M2 chip is expected to be featured in a number of other devices as well, including new generations of the iMac, Mac mini, and MacBook Air.

"I'd expect the new entry-level MacBook Pro to match the high-end MacBook Pros by losing the Touch Bar, but key differentiators will be lesser displays, processors, and storage, and no ProMotion nor miniLED. It'll be one of many Macs in the pipeline with the M2 chip, including refreshes to the 24-inch iMac, entry-level Mac mini and revamped MacBook Air."

14-inch MacBook Pro in Space Gray

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MacBook Pro (2021)


Bottom line: Professionals should open their wallets and purchase a 2021 MacBook Pro. All others might want to pause and consider last year's 13-inch model instead.

Joe Wituschek
Joe Wituschek
Contributor

Joe Wituschek is a Contributor at iMore. With over ten years in the technology industry, one of them being at Apple, Joe now covers the company for the website. In addition to covering breaking news, Joe also writes editorials and reviews for a range of products. He fell in love with Apple products when he got an iPod nano for Christmas almost twenty years ago. Despite being considered a "heavy" user, he has always preferred the consumer-focused products like the MacBook Air, iPad mini, and iPhone 13 mini. He will fight to the death to keep a mini iPhone in the lineup. In his free time, Joe enjoys video games, movies, photography, running, and basically everything outdoors.

1 Comment
  • Lol, what does entry level mean to Mac these days? When will Apple make a touch screen Macbook? What about a 2 in 1 Macbook? I find it funny when tablet sales are mentioned, then they like to list Apple as the top selling company for selling tablets. However that is never the real truth. As of today all sales of 2 in 1 laptops don't fall under the umbrella of tablet sales. However 2 in 1 laptops are just another form of tablet that a user folds into. Just like the new 2 in 1 smartphone category is not only a smartphone, but a tablet as well, especially when that user can unfold that smartphone into a tablet. None of these devices fall under the tablet sales category, but both 2 in 1 laptops, and 2 in 1 smartphones are both tablets as well. At the end of the day, since Apple is dropping their dumb touch bar, then Apple needs to create a touch screen Macbook. Its kind of funny how Apple was boasting and bragging about how their M1 Macs could run iOS apps, however Apple backed away from even mentioning that anymore, especially when iOS apps are developed with a touch screen interface in mind, but there is no touch screen on any M1 Macs. Therefore running iOS apps on a M1 Mac is a useless exercise.