The ‘M1X’ MacBook Pro
In the days leading up to WWDC, many were putting big bets on the arrival of at least one new higher-end MacBook Pro that would finally put the Apple Silicon transition in high-gear and kick Intel to the curb.
Even though Apple’s M1 MacBook Pro already runs circles around its Intel counterparts, it’s somewhat ironically been limited to the entry-level model in the lineup.
In other words, the most inexpensive MacBook Pro you can buy right now outperforms the higher-end 13-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro. In fact, our tests have shown it can hold its own against the base model of Apple’s insanely powerful Mac Pro.
However, Apple’s M1 Macs suffer from significant limitations in the number of Thunderbolt ports (2), maximum RAM (16GB), and maximum SSD storage capacity (2TB). This has kept the older Intel models filling in at the higher end of the lineup until Apple’s even more powerful M1X/M2 chip can find its way into them.
These new MacBook Pro models are expected to feature a pretty significant redesign, including the return of an HDMI port, an SD card slot, and MagSafe charging. However, there’s a good chance the rumours of a new MacBook Pro weren’t entirely baseless, however; Apple may have had to pull the announcement at the last minute due to production delays caused by the ongoing global chip shortage.