M1X MacBook Pro still expected to launch in October

Apple is still planning to launch new MacBook Pro models equipped with the "M1X" chip and improved graphical performance, a report claims, with a launch expected in an October event.

Apple is rumored to be preparing a second special event for the fall, following after its earlier "California Streaming" presentation. While there's a lot of products on Apple's potential launch roster, a report highlights that the MacBook Pro lineup will probably get the most attention for the second showing.

In Sunday's Bloomberg "Power On" newsletter, Mark Gurman insists Apple will be launching Macs with the "M1X" chip, which is "still on tap for 2021." The first updates will be in a "new range of MacBook Pros in the next month and a higher-end Mac mini at some point," with the additional reasoning that Apple tends to use October to launch Mac updates

Gurman believes the change to the M1X will provide a more "graphics-intense and professional-focused" Apple Silicon experience than the M1. Two variations are thought to be developed by Apple, Gurman writes, with both featuring a 10-core CPU consisting of eight high-performance cores and two high-efficiency cores.

The difference in the versions will be in the GPU, as there are apparently variants with 16 graphics cores and 32 cores.

Previously, Gurman's forecast on the M1X MacBook Pro models, thought to be the 14-inch MacBook Pro and 16-inch MacBook Pro, said there will not be a Touch Bar in the model, though they will apparently have mini LED-backlit displays and MagSafe magnetic charging.

46 Comments

doggone 400 comments · 18 Years

About 3 years ago

Been waiting for a year for a new 16 inch MBP. My wife's current model is 6 years old and has wonky speakers so you can't hear anything that is been played. I've been telling her to wait because the new M1 MBPs are just around the corner. Of course I'll be wanting one as well but my current version (4 years old) is still going strong.
I also had a dream that my current AirPods (V2) broke apart when taking them out of my ear. That must be a sign that the new version is going to be released too.

red oak 1104 comments · 13 Years

About 3 years ago

16 or 32 GPU cores? 10 CPU cores? You have got to be kidding me

If true, these are going to obliterate anything other than “ high end” desktop workstations. GeekBench scores will shake the PC industry

OutdoorAppDeveloper 1292 comments · 15 Years

About 3 years ago

red oak said:

16 or 32 GPU cores? 10 CPU cores? You have got to be kidding me

If true, these are going to obliterate anything other than “ high end” desktop workstations. GeekBench scores will shake the PC industry

You are exactly correct. This is a trend that has been going the past decade. Apple's mobile CPUs have been gaining performance at around 50% a year while Intel and AMD have been gaining about 5% a year. At some point the two curves would cross and cause massive disruption in the industry if the trend continued. That point happened last year with the introduction of the M1. The year before that, Apple's A series mobile CPUs started to beat common x86 laptop CPUs. This year the M1X could beat top end desktop CPUs and next year the M2 could be knocking on the door of the larger server CPUs. Currently all the hardware review sites are kind of ignoring the M1 when they review the performance of the latest Intel consumer CPUs.

Apple still has a ways to go before being a serious threat to the gamer PC GPUs but they are catching up rapidly. With 16 cores, the M1X could be in the same ballpark as the 5700 MX GPUs found in the 2020 iMac. With 32 cores, it could beat the current crop of AMD GPUs and newly released Intel GPUs with only NVIDIA having a clear advantage but only for very high end GPUs that are not obtainable in the market. The M1X could become the fastest integrated GPU on the market offering far greater performance per watt than any other GPU on the market.

Will server manufacturers be banging on Apple's door demanding chips? Is Apple thinking about making a gaming console? Where is the Mac Nano? Does Apple's management have the vision needed to take full advantage of the disruption they have created?

OutdoorAppDeveloper 1292 comments · 15 Years

About 3 years ago

Apple really needs to start building chip fabs all around the world. The situation brewing between Taiwan and China poses an existential threat to Apple and the entire tech industry. It would cost Apple a hundred billion dollars or more but the investment would pay off for decades to come.

9secondkox2 3125 comments · 8 Years

About 3 years ago

OutdoorAppDeveloper said:

Apple really needs to start building chip fabs all around the world. The situation brewing between Taiwan and China poses an existential threat to Apple and the entire tech industry. It would cost Apple a hundred billion dollars or more but the investment would pay off for decades to come.

100% agreed on all points.