Apple is widely expected to launch a new Mac next month, but with the high-end Mac mini, 27-inch iMac, and Mac Pro all still using Intel chips, and Apple's M1 machines from 2020 already over 15 months old, it's unclear which new model the company will announce next.
Apple is planning a special event on Tuesday, Mar. 8, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, who frequently provides accurate information about Apple's plans. At the very least, the third-generation iPhone SE and the fifth-generation iPad Air are expected to be announced at the event.
A recent Gurman report indicates Apple's spring presentation would involve the debut of at least one new Mac powered by Apple silicon chips. This year, Apple is scheduled to release five new Macs.
Gurman speculates that the entry-level MacBook Pro and Mac Mini will be updated first, followed by more Macs in May or June. In terms of new Mac models for 2022, Apple is expected to release a new Mac Mini with an M1 Pro chip, a larger iMac Pro with M1 Pro and M1 Max chip options, a Mac Pro with Apple Silicon, as well as a 13-inch MacBook Pro, Mac Mini, a 24-inch iMac, and a redesigned MacBook Air, all with rumored M2 chips.
There have been no hints that the updated MacBook Air or Mac Pro will be released next month, and the launch of the Mac mini appears to be the most likely outcome. Not only was the Mac mini reported to debut with the 14- and 16-inch MacBook Pro models at Apple's October event last year, but the Mac mini release date rumor is based on cross-referencing trustworthy recent claims from display analyst Ross Young and Gurman.
Young said in December 2021 that a new iMac Pro model with a mini-LED display will be released in the spring, and Gurman also suggested that this machine would be unveiled at a spring event, most likely in March or April. Young now believes that the new iMac Pro will not be released in the spring and that a "summer" release is more plausible for the high-end all-in-one computer. The iMac Pro's panel shipments are slated to begin in June, with a delivery date in August or September.
As was the case with the last-minute announcement of the MacBook Pro's notch last year, reports in the weeks leading up to Apple events frequently reveal critical details about new products, so more information about new Macs could yet emerge in the weeks leading up to the spring event.
