It promises to offer 18% faster performance.
Apple’s New M2 Processor
Apple announced the M1 processor two years ago. Now, the company just revealed M1’s direct successor. Apple didn’t provide the name of the new processor but it’s dubbed the M2 during the yearly developer conference.
Is this an Upgrade to the M1 Pro?
Although M2 is a great improvement on the M1, it’s not designed as an upgrade to M1 Pro.
The M2 processor is similar to its predecessor. That is, it has 8 CPU cores. The company stated that it’s 19% faster than the M1 CPU. It also boosts the GPU cores to 10. Thus, it provides a 35% performance boost.
But we’ll see various versions of this chip, just like M1 where it was available with different GPU cores.
One of the first Macs that will get M2 chips is the 13-inch MacBook Pro. The price will start at $1,200. The said MacBook Pro is the least expensive laptop in the Pro lineup.
It’s also the only Pro model that doesn’t have M1 Pro and M1 Max chips. The new M2 chip will take over, thereby, giving the new laptop a huge performance boost.
The 2022 13-inch MacBook will not have plenty of changes. That is, it will still have the Touch Bar. The 14 and 16-inch MacBook Pros have already removed such a feature.
The 13-inch MacBook Pro is now the only updated Apple lineup with such controversial nature. It’s also the only laptop in the series without the new MagSafe charger. Instead, it has two Thunderbolt/USB 4 ports for charging and peripherals.
MacBook Air
The newly redesigned Air will also feature an M2 chip. But it will have a 1080p camera and a MagSafe charger. It weighs less than the 13-inch Pro, even though it has a larger 13.6-inch screen.
In addition to M2 chips, Apple also revealed its latest iOS. The latest version focuses on customization. It includes Watch-style widgets, an updated lock screen, and rotating photos, among others.
To prevent the notifications from obscuring your photo, they will roll in from the bottom. Live Activities can just expand and fill the lock screen.
The Messages app has a lot of iterations. The most important ones will include editing, undoing sends, and marking the messages unread.
Apple has revealed a feature that answers to Google Lens — Live Text. It expands to video so you can pause on a frame and interact with the video.
It can extra images from a background and paste them into Messages and other apps.
The Wallet will also get some changes. It adds more partners for its wireless keys. It also comes with a tap-to-pay feature on iPhone for contactless payment. Then, its Apple Pay Later feature allows users to split the cost of purchase across payments.
iOS 16 will also have Safety Check that can help in revoking access for someone who threatens you. It also lets you sign out of your iCloud account on all devices. Plus, it limits Messages to an in-hand device.
