Other top stories this week included a slew of product rumors, including additional M2 and even M3 Macs, an updated Apple TV, and a refreshed HomePod, so be sure to read on for all the details on those stories and more!
Apple plans to launch the MacBook Air with an M2 chip on July 15
MacRumors has learned from a source that Apple plans to release the new MacBook Air with the M2 chip on Friday, July 15, which means pre-orders are likely to begin on Friday, July 8. Apple had previously announced that the new MacBook Air would be available in July, but did not give a specific date. The new MacBook Air has been redesigned with a larger 13.6-inch screen, a notch, a flatter look, and new Starlight and Midnight color options. The laptop features MagSafe 3 charging, an upgraded 1080p camera, two Thunderbolt 3 ports, a Magic Keyboard with physical Fn keys, a Touch ID button, and more. Pricing starts at $1,199 in the United States, while the previous MacBook Air remains available for $999.
The entry-level 13-inch MacBook Pro with an M2 chip has significantly slower SSD speeds than the previous model
The base model M2 MacBook Pro with 256GB of storage has significantly slower SSD read/write speeds compared to its M1 counterpart. YouTube channels like Max Tech and Created Tech tested the 256GB model with the Blackmagic Disk Speed Test app and real-world tests and found the SSD’s read and write speeds to be around 50% and 30% slower, respectively. compared to the previous model.
M2 Pro Mac Mini, new Apple TV with A14 chip and more rumored to be in the works
In the latest edition of his Power On newsletter, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman outlined additional M2 Macs on Apple’s product roadmap, including a new Mac mini powered by an M2 Pro chip. Gurman listed several other new Apple products in the works, including a new Apple TV with an A14 chip and increased 4GB of RAM. Most of the products are expected to be released from late 2022 to mid-2023.
New version of the Original HomePod coming back next year
One of the new Apple products Gurman mentioned is a new HomePod in the works with the same S8 chip that you’ll find in the Apple Watch Series 8. Gurman said the new HomePod will be closer to the original model in terms of size and sound performance, as opposed to being a new HomePod mini. He also said that the new HomePod will feature an updated screen on top of the speaker, possibly with multi-touch functionality.
Video Comparison: M2 MacBook Pro vs. M1 MacBook Pro
In a recent video on our YouTube channel, we compared Apple’s new 13-inch MacBook Pro with the M2 chip to the previous model with the M1 chip. The video provides a look at the M2 MacBook Pro’s overall performance, SSD speeds and more compared to the previous model. Both machines have a 256GB SSD and 8GB of RAM in our comparison.
Kuo: Apple’s 5G modem chip work ‘failed’, Qualcomm to remain supplier for 2023 iPhones
For years, Apple has been rumored to be working on its own 5G modem for future devices, but analyst Ming-Chi Kuo this week claimed that Apple’s efforts have so far “failed” and said Qualcomm will remain the supplier Apple modem for 2023 iPhones. If Kuo is accurate, this means that the iPhone 15 models could be equipped with Qualcomm’s latest Snapdragon X70 modem, as Apple continues to work on its own modem.
MacRumors Newsletter
Each week, we publish an email newsletter like this one that highlights Apple’s top stories, making it a great way to get a little recap of the week with all the major topics we’ve covered and link related stories for one big view image. So if you want to have top stories like the recap above delivered to your inbox every week, subscribe to our newsletter!
