Current rumors are pointing at March 23rd as a new Apple Event. This is shaping up to be the release of at the very least the 16″ MacBook Pro and a small iMac (maybe 24″). There have been plenty of mockups of the new iMacs, and rumors of more ports on the MacBooks. Additional rumors are pointing to a 13″ MacBook Pro being redesigned into a 14″, a 27″ or 30″ iMac, and possibly, AirTiles (finally). With the discontinuation of the iMac Pro, an updated 27/30″ iMac seems likely, with the power to match or beat the current iMac Pro. All of this is contingent on either M1x or M2 coming to market at the same time, in order to best the current products, which are just kicking most systems to the curb.
MacBook Pro(s)
Rumors have been circulating that the next refresh will include both a 14″ and 16″ MacBook Pro, with additional ports and MagSafe. I don’t see Apple removing USB-C Charging, but may augment it, like many PC Manufactures, with an update MagSafe connector (MagSafe 3?) for portable operations. There are even some patent drawings to that effect. There are also rumors of USB-A, HDMI, and other ports coming back to the machines. I can see an SD card slot returning, and maybe a single USB-A, but that would be about it. USB is moving to USB-C as the standard interface for USB4, so more devices should start becoming available with USB-C connections, and I foresee 2021 being the year that more USB-C thumb drives will be on the market (likely with both C and A connectors), and we will see printer manufacturers either replacing the USB-B connectors with USB-C or at least making an USB-C to USB-B (2.0) cable.
iMacs
The iMacs are long overdue for an upgrade. Smaller bezels would be nice, but honestly, I don’t find the current design dated, and I would hate for the machine to lose its chin entirely. I would like to see some front or easier to find port access, 10Gb Ethernet as an option (or 2.5Gb at least), WiFi 6E, upgraded camera, etc. I can only see the screen size increasing by removing the bezels, and keeping the 16×9 aspect ratio. I see them also upgrading the smaller screen to 5K, and the larger screen to 6K (to match the ProDisplay XDR). I am expecting, with Apple using their own chips, that Target Display Mode will return as well. Rumors are also pointing at colorful chassis, which if done at a material level, also points at colorful keyboards coming (as the Apple keyboards are made from the waste material from making iMacs and MacBooks), possibly with updated keycaps, like on the new M1 MacBooks.
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Apple Silicon
Apple is awfully tight lipped about its processor roadmaps and plans, as they aren’t needing to market it to other companies (yet). But some enterprising persons have leaked M1x benchmarks which show a 12 core processor, rivaling some of the most expensive prosumer chips from Intel and AMD, both in single-core and muliti-core performance. Remember, this is with a chip without hyper threading, and without additional power management systems, other than just being optimized for battery. 12 cores for graphics (or more) would also go a long way towards supporting these new machines. It would be quite outstanding if Apple could rival AMD and Nvidia’s graphics performance from 12 cores.
Conclusion
While we don’t know for sure what is coming for sure, we do know they will be better and faster than the current M1s, will rival Windows PCs on the market, and will move Apple forward into the undiscovered country that they are plunging towards.