Wesley Hilliard
Apple referenced an unreleased 2020 16-inch MacBook Pro in its Boot Camp Windows driver update, although the reference could be a case of mistaken identity.
Boot Camp is used to run operating systems like Windows and Linux on a Mac, and was updated to fix stability issues recently. The update's release notes, however, contain a reference to a machine that does not exist.
The Boot Camp 6.1.13 update improves the compatibility of your Mac when running Windows through Boot Camp.This update:
- Improves audio recording quality when using the built-in microphone
- Fixes a stability issue that could occur during heavy CPU load on 16-inch MacBook Pro (2019 and 2020) and 13-inch MacBook Pro (2020)
Apple released the 16-inch MacBook Pro in November 2019, and released a high-end graphics option in June 2020. Apple officially refers to both of these releases as the 2019 16-inch MacBook Pro.
Apple is rumored to be hosting an Apple Silicon event soon, with the imminent release of Macs running the new processors being a potential sticking point to the rumor. Apple will likely hold an event in November to announce new Macs, though it is predicted that Apple will start on the low-end with the MacBook Air or Mac mini to be updated.
The update notes were noticed by MacRumors readers, who also noted that it is a potential mistake.
Rumors indicate Apple will update the iMac with a new design and Apple silicon, and release a new 14-inch MacBook Pro as well, but the timetable for those products are unknown. Macs running Apple Silicon will not run Boot Camp, so the update notes must reference an Intel machine.
Charles Martin
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11 Comments
I'm going to assume this was mistakenly referring to the GPU update in 2020 as a 2020 model unless proven wrong. With the November ARM event looming, I think it's going to be all ARM refreshes from here, and the 16" probably in 2021, the Intel iMac probably being the last new Intel model.
I hope you're right, but I'm skeptical. The ARM transition is expected to take "about two years" as of June 2020, so we'll definitely be seeing Intel Macs throughout next year at least.
Two reasons I think 16" will be low priority:
- The GPU needs are far in excess of existing Apple A-series chips. A12X gets a 9000 metal compute score; Radeon Pro runs 38,000. Not impossible or even difficult (they can just throw more cores at it), but not nearly as straight-forward as a theoretical A14X either.
- Consumer demand is pretty low. Ten years ago most developers I knew were using 15" MBPs, but as the industry changed and legions of young graduates for "developer bootcamps" flooded the industry, there was a huge trend toward cheaper 13" machines. (source: pre-Covid, I spent a lot of time in co-working spaces and WeWorks, saw firsthand the shift from 15" to 13" computers. Still pretty popular among graphic designers and video editors but that's it.)
I'm betting on Fall 2021 for 16" ARM at the earliest.
I wish Apple Insider ran "fantasy football" style games regarding Apple releases… I've got a whole release schedule mapped out in my head, I wanna place bets :D
We are about due for an update to the 16" MBP, and presently orders from the Australian Apple Store don't deliver until about the 17th of November. Does sound like an update coming out around then.
I expect that, if there is an update, it will still be Intel, probably 10th Gen. I'd like to see it with a beefed up ARM co-processor (T3 at this point, I guess) to allow for development work on ASi based applications, but I'm not sure it will. I hope it will at least address the flaw in the T2 that was all over the press recently.
For the first ASi Mac, I'm holding out for a Mac mini to replace my current one, but who knows what they're planning.
I would bet very heavily on Mac Mini being the first to ship, alongside a modestly specced laptop. It'll have high appeal for developers, who are necessary to finish the transition, and it'll be the very easiest computer to pump out of the assembly line.
There is no way that the first Apple CPU Mac would be referred to as “16-inch MacBook Pro (2020)”. I don’t know how they will distinguish the Apple CPU models from Intel models, but you won’t have to look up model years to figure it out.