New Apple Leak Reveals Superb MacBook Pro Upgrade

Thanks to Apple’s new M1 processor, the latest MacBook Air, MacBook Pro and Mac Mini machines overtake benchmarks on the left, right and center. That’s enough for many geekrati to switch to ARM-based hardware, but Apple has something spectacular planned for 2021.

Building on his previous reports, Apple analyst Ming Chi-Kuo makes a stronger case for Apple to switch to mini-LED displays in MacBook hardware next year. As Apple’s suppliers brace for a massive shift in production, it’s clear that LED panels with improved colors, higher contract, and better brightness are on the way. Tim Hardwick reports:

According to the report, Apple is set to launch its first iPad Pro mini-LED in the first quarter of 2021 and mass-produce MacBook Pro mini-LED models in the second quarter, and a number of Taiwanese manufacturers are building a ‘pre – presence of imprint “in the Mini-LED segment in anticipation”.

This confirms that, unless you are one of the elite members of the geekerati, you should consider waiting before picking up one of the Apple Silicon powered MacBooks.

First of all, there is the consideration of silicon. The M1 chip publishes a lot of benchmarking sites, and the raw processing power already matches Intel’s top tier chips. While there is more to a computer than the processor, it makes a pretty big difference.

While many point out that Intel still has the top chip, it lacks two positioning elements.

The first is that you have to look at the chips compared. The entry-level MacBook Air, with the lowest M1, outperforms everything except Intel chips. Put the M1 chip against one of Intel’s entry-level chips, for example in the Core i3 line, and you have a more honest comparison.

Yet the M1 chip is the first generation chip. Literally, any MacBook released after this point will have more performance. When Apple rolls out an M2, or maybe even the alleged M1X for faster desktop machines, I would expect Intel to lose that lead in performance.

Then there is Apple’s hardware and software. For all the sleek presentation and cheerful initial reviews, the M1 and associated Mac machines are still first-gen hardware; coupled with a significant macOS update to allow it to run on Apple’s ARM silicon. While some apps perform wonderfully, others are problematic, run slower than Intel Macs, and have a significant impact on battery life.

As with all computing platforms, many of these issues will be resolved with software updates in the majority of cases, although it is possible that issues will be detected in the hardware. While Apple has a strong tradition, in practice it comes down to first-generation hardware and software. The prudent should wait.

And finally, as this report on the upcoming use of mini LED displays in next year’s MacBook machines shows, the current MacBook Air and MacBook Pro machines are older designs. Although they have the M1 chip inside and the necessary update circuitry to accommodate the changes, Apple has refused to make any external changes.

It certainly makes selling to the average consumer a bit easier (“look,” the theory says, “it’s the same Mac you know and love, but it’s faster and has a longer battery life”), but the ARM’s brave new world surely demands a brave new design with the latest technology? It happens next year.

A faster processor that will outperform most if not all x86 options; iterations to improve first generation hardware and software; and the latest technology. All of these are expected in the new MacBooks next year.

Now read more about the comparisons between Apple MacBooks and Microsoft Surfaces …