Apple embarked on a journey to create its own processors several years ago, which culminated in the launch of the M1, an ARM-based chip that now powers Macs and iPads. A successor is already in the works though and according to sources this week, Apple's M2 chip is already in production and could launch as soon as July.
According to Nikkei, the Apple M2 processor has gone into mass production and could start shipping in July 2021. The latest Apple Silicon processor, tentatively referred to as the M2, is being produced once again by TSMC, using the semiconductor's 5nm Plus technology.
The Apple M2 would likely first appear in new MacBook models, which are expected to arrive in Q3 2021, before eventually ending up in iMacs and even iPads.
Unfortunately, we don't know what sort of performance jump to expect but Apple is looking to iterate and generate more powerful SoCs at a fast pace. The company still needs to replace Intel CPUs in several of its products, including the 16-inch MacBook Pro, the iMac Pro and the Mac Pro. Publicly, Apple has stated that its plan is to shift all products to Apple Silicon by the end of 2022.
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KitGuru Says: The M1-powered iPad Pro was only just announced a week ago, so it is a bit surprising to already be hearing about the M2 launch. Still, we did expect to see new Apple Silicon at some point in 2021. Now we'll just have to wait and see how much of a performance leap the M2 brings.