2023 MacBook Pro

Following the announcement of the M2 MacBook Air at this year's Worldwide Developer Conference, many were expecting the next-generation 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro laptops in Apple's traditional late October/early November launch window. Not only was there no sign of the macOS laptops in Apple's flurry of press release launches in October, it now looks like the faithful will be waiting until 2023 for their brave new world.

Brussels, Belgium, 12th july 2022: Entrance of the apple store in Brussels, Apple logo on the window

While there is no definitive statement from Apple, there are multiple indications that the argument for a delay has been won inside Cupertino.

First up are Tim Cook's words in Apple's recent earnings calls, where he stated that Apple's product lineup is set for the holidays... words that imply we won't see any new hardware before 2023 - although with the promise to move the entire Mac range to Apple Silicon by the end of 2022 hanging over Cook and his team, at least one new Mac Pro powered by Apple Silicon needs to be sold to someone outside of the campus.

Building on that, noted Apple reporter Mark Gurman is suggesting that these larger MacBook Pro laptops will be released "within the coming months" and in "the near future"; words that would cover the traditional November announcement and subsequent release during the holidays, or into 2023.

Finally (for now), reports from the supply chain suggest that production on the professional laptops is geared towards a March release.

This means that the one-year anniversary of the M1 Pro and M1 Ultra powered MacBook Pros will pass with no update. Curiously, the MacBook Air and the inexplicable 13-inch MacBook Pro launched in 2020 also missed out on a one-year anniversary in 2021, instead picking up their M2 updates at Apple's Worldwide Developer Conference in June 2022; arguably after a year and a half.

If the larger professional MacBook Pro laptops are updated and join the M2 family in March, you could (just about) argue that they are also on a year and a half schedule. Who knows, they might even get pushed back to WWDC 2023; after all, they are very much machines designed for developers and those needing the excess of power the chipsets offer. Launching them at the event designed for developers and their ilk has a certain attractive quality,

What it also offers is a clear run into the holiday season for the MacBook Air and the 13-inch MacBook Pro. Consumers looking for a 'new' MacBook will find the new M2 chips on a new MacBook Air and MacBook Pro on offer, with no other macOS laptops muddying the waters.

Now read the latest MacBook, iPhone, and iPad headlines in this week's Apple Loop on Forbes...

New reports suggest we could see a MacBook Pro M2 (2023) laptop release in the first quarter of next year.

Apple will once again release 14-inch and 16-inch variations of the MacBook Pro laptops, but this time with M2-based processors to boost the performance.

Apple insider Mark Gurman (via Bloomberg) claims the MacBook Pro M2 will be available with M2 Pro and M2 Max CPU options, seeing a performance upgrade to both the processing and graphics power.

The laptop isn’t expected to see a new design, but that’s hardly a surprise when Apple already gave the Pro series a major refresh in 2021.

Keep reading on for everything you need to know about the 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro M2 laptops.

Release date

The MacBook Pro M2 laptop is set to launch in the first quarter of 2023, according to Mark Gurman via Bloomberg. That means we could see the laptops hit stores before March 2023.

Many had previously hoped Apple would launch the MacBook Pro M2 in 2022, but CEO Tim Cook has since confirmed, during a quarterly earnings call, that Apple has already completed its product line for this holiday season.

Price

There have been no details on the prices just yet, but with the next batch of MacBook Pro laptops potentially only seeing a processor refresh, we expect them to retain the same price points.

The current cheapest 14-inch MacBook Pro is priced at $1999/£1899 and the most affordable 16-inch MacBook Pro costs $2499/£2399.

Specs

Mark Gurman (via Bloomberg) has tipped the next MacBook Pro to be powered by an M2 Pro or M2 Max chip, depending on your chosen configuration.

The M2 Max will reportedly feature up to 12 CPU cores (an increase from 10) and 38 GPU cores (up from 32). We don’t know the exact specs for the M2 Pro right now, but we’re expecting to see an upgrade to both the processing and graphics performance here too.

We’re also assuming that these new chips will use the same architecture as the standard M2 chip found inside the latest MacBook Air. If so, then the processors could see a big boost to the number of transistors, enhancing the performance even before Apple squeezes on additional CPU and GPU cores.

It’s hard to envision what other upgrades the next MacBook Pro M2 laptops could see. They already have Mini LED screens, MagSafe charging and a modern design, so Apple may rely solely on a processor refresh.

Design

Mark Gurman has said the new MacBook Pro will “continue to look like the current models” which suggests Apple won’t be altering the design of the laptop.

We expected this to be the case, with Apple giving the MacBook Pro a significant redesign as early as 2021. Apple always waits a few years before introducing a major new design, so it makes a lot of sense that the company is sticking with the existing clamshell design for the 2023 iteration of the MacBook Pro.

Keep this page bookmarked for all the breaking news and developments on the next 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro M2 laptops.

You might like…

Is there a new MacBook Pro coming out in 2023?

Is there going to be a new MacBook in 2022?

Is a MacBook Pro still good in 2022?

What Apple products are coming out in 2023?