Apple's Website Suggests M2 and M2 Pro Mac Announcements Were Originally Set for Fall 2022

Information embedded within Apple's website suggests that this week's new Mac announcements, including the M2 Pro and M2 Max chips, were initially set to be unveiled in October or November of last year.

Apple MacBook Pro M2 Feature Blue Green
As reported by Daring Fireball's John Gruber, the file name for a short mini keynote-styled video that Apple released following the announcement of the updated 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro and Mac mini includes the year 2022, suggesting the video may have been initially set to premiere last year. The video, over 18 minutes long, looks like the digital Apple events the company has been holding for the previous few years.

Some have speculated the 18-minute video was a segment cut out from a larger event the company was planning to hold in October or November 2022 that included more than the announcements of new M2 Pro and M2 Max Macs. Also spotted on Twitter, the AR files for the new 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models were compiled in October 2022, three months before the new Macs were announced.

Typically, every fall, Apple holds an event in September to announce its latest iPhones and Apple Watch models. In the run-up to the fall of 2022, rumors were increasingly suggesting that Apple was planning to hold two events between September and December: one for the iPhone and Apple Watch and another for the Mac and iPad.

The latter event was to be focused entirely on updated Apple silicon Macs and iPads, including updated 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pros and the next-generation iPad Pro, according to rumors circulating at the time. In September, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reported that Apple had canceled plans to hold a second digital event in the fall and would instead release the remaining products for 2022 through press releases on its website.

In October, Apple announced an updated iPad Pro with M2 and the redesigned 10th-generation entry-level iPad via press releases. In mid-Decemeber, Gurman reported that the new Macs were now slated for a launch in "early" 2023.

The new 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pros have options for either the M2 Pro or M2 Max chip, building on the performance of the M1 Pro and M1 Max. The new chips allow for even faster performance and a higher 96GB capacity of unified memory with the M2 Max. The new Macs also now support 8K external displays thanks to a more advanced HDMI port, and the 16-inch model has the longest battery life of any Mac.

Apple this week also announced a new Mac mini, featuring the same design as the previous-generation model but now with M2 or M2 Pro. The new Mac mini and MacBook Pros are available for pre-order on Apple's website and will begin arriving to customers on Tuesday, January 24.

Related Roundups: Mac mini, MacBook Pro 14 & 16"
Related Forums: Mac mini, MacBook Pro

Top Rated Comments

imamacperson Avatar
10 months ago
Can't wait to buy a $6499 16" 96GB/8TB machine in 10 years for $100. :)
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
TheYayAreaLiving ?️ Avatar
10 months ago
So.. these are basically last year's (2022) MacBook Pro models? That is why we didn't see an iconic Midnight M2 MacBook Pro. Yeah, I'm still mad about that. Lost one day of sleep over it for nothing. Feeling salty... ?

? My eyes on MacBook Air 15" (Midnight Edition).
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
lysingur Avatar
10 months ago
Apple's supply chain is so tied up in China that this is most likely due to what was happening over there on the ground at the time. Apple should take the hint and really start to move some production to Mexico or back the US to avoid a catastrophe.
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
AppliedMicro Avatar
10 months ago

Can't wait to buy a $6499 16" 96GB/8TB machine in 10 years for $100.
Hate to break it to you, but…
Did you look at what Apple sold you 10 years ago? ;)

They just about doubled the storage and RAM on their models since then (from 128GB/4GB to 256GB/8GB on base models)
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
MacRum2011 Avatar
10 months ago
The prices in Australia are eye watering from the previous model. 16 Inch starting at $4,000 (i paid $3200 for my 16 Inch M1 Pro), even the 14 Inch starts at $3,200 (previously $2700). less people will buy them and buy a Air instead or even the entry Pro if they can deal with the older style and the problematic keyboard.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
munpip214 Avatar
10 months ago
Now time to update the iMac
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

M3 Chip Apple Event Slide

First Benchmark Results Surface for M3 Chip in New Macs

Wednesday November 1, 2023 7:53 am PDT by
The first benchmark results for the standard M3 chip surfaced in the Geekbench 6 database today, providing a closer look at the chip's CPU performance improvements. Based on the results so far, the M3 chip has single-core and multi-core scores of around 3,000 and 11,700, respectively. The standard M2 chip has single-core and multi-core scores of around 2,600 and 9,700, respectively, so the...
iOS 17

Apple Preparing to Release iOS 17.1.1 Update for iPhone

Thursday November 2, 2023 1:22 pm PDT by
Apple appears to be internally testing an iOS 17.1.1 update for the iPhone, based on evidence of the software in our website's analytics logs this week. iOS 17.1.1 will almost certainly be focused on bug fixes, but it's unclear exactly which issues the update will address. The update could include the same fix for Wi-Fi connectivity issues that Apple rolled out in the first iOS 17.2 beta,...
m3 pro chip

Apple M3 Pro Chip Has 25% Less Memory Bandwidth Than M1/M2 Pro

Tuesday October 31, 2023 3:11 am PDT by
Apple's latest M3 Pro chip in the new 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro has 25% less memory bandwidth than the M1 Pro and M2 Pro chips used in equivalent models from the two previous generations. Based on the latest 3-nanometer technology and featuring all-new GPU architecture, the M3 series of chips is said to represent the fastest and most power-efficient evolution of Apple silicon thus far. ...
AitTag New Firmware

Apple Releases New Firmware for AirTags

Tuesday October 31, 2023 11:26 am PDT by
Apple today released a new firmware update designed for the AirTag item trackers. The firmware features a build number of 2A61, up from the 2A36 firmware that came out last December. It has been nearly a year since Apple updated the firmware on the AirTags, and there is no word yet on what might be included in the update. Today's firmware release will be rolling out on a staggered basis....
M3 Max Chip

M3 Max Chip Around as Fast as M2 Ultra in Early Benchmark Results

Wednesday November 1, 2023 7:27 pm PDT by
The first benchmark results for Apple's M3 Max chip surfaced in the Geekbench 6 database today, providing a look at CPU performance. Based on the "Mac15,9" model identifier shown, the results appear to be for the new 16-inch MacBook Pro. The highest multi-core score for the M3 Max with a 16-core CPU is currently 21,084 as of writing. If this early result is accurate, this means the M3 Max is ...
10 New Features With iOS 17

iOS 17.2 Coming Later This Year With These 10 New Features for iPhone

Friday November 3, 2023 1:23 pm PDT by
Apple made the first beta of iOS 17.2 available to developers and public beta testers last week, and the software update includes many new features and changes for iPhones. Below, we have highlighted 10 of these new features and changes. iOS 17.2 is expected to be released to the public in December. Once available, the update can be installed in the Settings app under General → Software...
Pro Display XDR Red

Macs With M3 Chip Still Officially Support Only a Single External Display

Thursday November 2, 2023 7:41 am PDT by
Macs equipped with the standard M3 chip still support only one external display with up to 6K resolution at 60Hz, according to Apple's tech specs. So far, the chip is available in the entry-level 14-inch MacBook Pro and the 24-inch iMac. This limitation has existed since the first Apple silicon Macs with the M1 chip were released in 2020, but users can connect multiple external displays to...
apple music voice plan feature blue green

Apple Music's Lower-Priced Voice Plan Being Discontinued

Wednesday November 1, 2023 11:51 am PDT by
The lower-cost Apple Music Voice Plan is being discontinued this month in the U.S. and all other countries where it was available, according to an Apple support document. Brazilian website MacMagazine was first to alert us to this news. "Beginning in November, Apple will discontinue the Apple Music Voice plan," said Apple. "We are focused on delivering the best, most robust music experience...