New MacBook Pro with M1 Max processor will ditch Touch Bar, adopt MagSafe

Posted:
in Future Apple Hardware edited October 2021
Apple's new MacBook Pro models with faster chips are expected on Monday, and are rumored to adopt MagSafe charging of some sort, a speedier Apple Silicon processor, and more.




Apple is expected to launch numerous products at Monday's "Unleashed" Apple Event, but the bulk of the presentation is anticipated to revolve around the MacBook Pro. With the potential launch of the 14-inch MacBook Pro alongside an updated 16-inch MacBook Pro, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman offered his predictions, as well as further details on what went into the creation of the new models.

In his "Power On" newsletter, Gurman reiterates previously-rumored features including new display resolutions and a mini LED screen. According to an anonymous source, the resolutions of 3,024 by 1,964 and 3,456 by 2,234 have surfaced in app analytics.

Powering the new models, the chip inside will use 10 CPU cores made up of eight high-performance cores and two high-efficiency cores to save power. A variation will be provided, with the new chip's GPU including either 16 cores or 32 cores.

The 8GB and 16GB options for RAM in the earlier 13-inch MacBook Pro release could gain extra options. According to the report 32GB and 64GB capacities have also apparently been tested. The existing 16-inch MacBook Pro has a 32GB RAM option, but not a 64GB model.

As for what the new chips will be called, it is unclear if Apple will go with an extra letter, such as "M1X" or "M1Z." Another possibility is "M1 Pro" and "M1 Max" with the latter found in App developers logs. It isn't clear if this is for the new MacBook Pro or for a future product, but given the timing of the entries, it seems likely to be for the new MacBook Pro.

Sunday's report says that the new MacBook Pro will see the "end of the Touch Bar." While Apple had "tested versions" with add-ons such as an SD card slot, HDMI, and USB-A, it seems unlikely that Apple will be including them in the new variations, the report also claims.

Lastly, MagSafe will be making an appearance in the new models, complete with "faster" charging speeds.

Previous Rumors

Apple's "Unleashed" special event, the second in successive months, is set to feature changes to the MacBook Pro lineup, with two models expected to be unveiled. The 16-inch MacBook Pro is rumored to be making the move over to Apple Silicon, while the 14-inch MacBook Pro will provide more screen space than the 13-inch model, while also offering the Apple-designed chip.

The new models are expected to use a new "M1X" chip, said previously reported on October 3 to be offered in two variants. While both will use a 10-core CPU and the Neural Engine, one version will have a 16-core GPU, while the other will be a 32-core version.

Earier rumors suggested that the new MacBook Pro would herald the return of MagSafe to the MacBook Pro line. In the same report, it was claimed that the Touch Bar that debuted in the 2016 MacBook Pro models would disappear.

Many rumors from multiple sources have said that Apple will incorporate mini LED-backlit displays, enabling high contrast levels and improved color representation on a par with OLED into the MacBook Pro. On October 12, an analyst specializing in displays claimed that mini LED was definitely on the way, along with a potential 120Hz refresh rate, up from the 60Hz current models support.

One October 16 leak claimed the infamous notch from the displays of the iPhone could reach the MacBook Pro lineup, with the FaceTime HD camera held inside a notch at the top of the display. However, at the same time, it was said that Face ID would not be used in the model, with Touch ID thought to be retained as the sole biometric security system in use.

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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 58
    rcfarcfa Posts: 1,124member
    “I find your lack of Touch Bar disturbing…“

    The only thing that was ever bad about it, was the first iteration without a dedicated ESC-key; the second version fixed that, and from then on, the Touch Bar was a clear winner.

    The only other issue, which with Apple Silicon isn’t an issue anyway anymore, is that the Touch Bar wasn’t initialized during EFI booting, thus, if one did a Boot Camp boot into windows, and one needed to hit F1 to do a recovery boot before windows was fully up and the Touch Bar was configured by drivers, one was SOL, unless one had an external USB keyboard handy. But that’s really an edge case, and any crap keyboard for $10 would fix this, if really it ever was an issue. Apple Silicon won’t support Boot Camp anyway, so now even this issue is gone.

    In short, Apple is rumored to abandon a great feature at the very moment when actually all issues with it would finally have been resolved. How dumb is that? 🤦🏻‍♂️
    viclauyycfastasleepfirelockbestkeptsecreturahara
  • Reply 2 of 58
    There is an error above discussing the 16" laptop. My 2019 16" MacBook Pro has 64GB of 2666 MHz DDR4 memory, a 8TB SSD and AMDC Radeon Pro 5500M (top video card when ordered) for just over $6,000. It has the 2.4 GHz 8-Core Intel Core i9 processor. Quite the machine in 2019.
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 3 of 58
    I don’t believe the notch rumor. The iPhone notch doesn’t really bother me too much, although at first I hated the idea. But if the iPad Pro doesn’t have a notch, then why would the MacBook Pro have a notch? It just doesn’t make sense.   
    viclauyycforegoneconclusiondocno42watto_cobra
  • Reply 4 of 58
    rcfa said:
    “I find your lack of Touch Bar disturbing…“

    The only thing that was ever bad about it, was the first iteration without a dedicated ESC-key; the second version fixed that, and from then on, the Touch Bar was a clear winner.

    The only other issue, which with Apple Silicon isn’t an issue anyway anymore, is that the Touch Bar wasn’t initialized during EFI booting, thus, if one did a Boot Camp boot into windows, and one needed to hit F1 to do a recovery boot before windows was fully up and the Touch Bar was configured by drivers, one was SOL, unless one had an external USB keyboard handy. But that’s really an edge case, and any crap keyboard for $10 would fix this, if really it ever was an issue. Apple Silicon won’t support Boot Camp anyway, so now even this issue is gone.

    In short, Apple is rumored to abandon a great feature at the very moment when actually all issues with it would finally have been resolved. How dumb is that? ߤ氟ﻦzwj;♂️
    No doubt it was good for some, however why was it never offered for desktop keyboards...?  I might guess cost ?
    I dabbled with Duet touch bar on iPad and found it was not useful for me, an expensive feature/repair risk and yet 'hostage' on MBP...?
    Would it be better with system wide availability (optionally or BTO) to be truly effective for those who want it...?

    My wish list also includes magsafe : ), a security slot, updated Airport Express/Time Capsule, Thunderbolt Display 4k and even a return of iWeb 4.0...
    edited October 2021 elijahgdocno42
  • Reply 5 of 58
    dk49dk49 Posts: 267member
    After having used the Macbook Pro with touch bar for 4 years, I can tell you that it's been basically useless for me. Even a hindrance. And I think most people feel the same. Otherwise why would Apple remove it?

    The only thing I will miss about the touch bar is the spelling suggestions which were handy. 
    edited October 2021 elijahgwilliamlondoncommand_fhenrybaycuriousrun8
  • Reply 6 of 58
    Removing the Touch Bar is one less failure point in the laptop. 
    williamlondon
  • Reply 7 of 58
    Couldn’t they have implemented the Touch Pad functions in a display that also served as the track pad?
  • Reply 8 of 58
    crowleycrowley Posts: 10,453member
    I don’t believe the notch rumor. The iPhone notch doesn’t really bother me too much, although at first I hated the idea. But if the iPad Pro doesn’t have a notch, then why would the MacBook Pro have a notch? It just doesn’t make sense.   
    I don't believe it either, but I don't think the lack of notch inn the iPad Pro works as a reason.  The iPads all have larger bezels, ostensibly for holding the device with two hands without touching the screen.
    docno42watto_cobra
  • Reply 9 of 58
    ApplePoor said:
    There is an error above discussing the 16" laptop. My 2019 16" MacBook Pro has 64GB of 2666 MHz DDR4 memory, a 8TB SSD and AMDC Radeon Pro 5500M (top video card when ordered) for just over $6,000. It has the 2.4 GHz 8-Core Intel Core i9 processor. Quite the machine in 2019.
    Mine too.  Exactly the same. Maxed out model at introduction before the 5600M GPU was added. 

    To Malcolm: great article, but this line is incorrect: 
    The existing 16-inch MacBook Pro has a 32GB RAM option, but not a 64GB model.


    watto_cobra
  • Reply 10 of 58
    While Apple had "tested versions" with add-ons such as an SD card slot, HDMI, and USB-A, it seems unlikely that Apple will be including them in the new variations, the report also claims.
    Bad news for the three people who wanted these. 
    williamlondoncommand_fhenrybaychiauraharawatto_cobra
  • Reply 11 of 58
    MplsPMplsP Posts: 3,911member
    I don’t believe the notch rumor. The iPhone notch doesn’t really bother me too much, although at first I hated the idea. But if the iPad Pro doesn’t have a notch, then why would the MacBook Pro have a notch? It just doesn’t make sense.   
    Agreed - for the iPhone, the extra ¼" of screen space is significant. For a laptop it isn't. Would anyone notice trimming ¼" off of a MacBook Pro? nope. The other indirect cost of doing so is it would trim the battery by ¼". If you ask how many people would rather have a thinner bezel with a notch and a smaller battery vs a slightly thicker bezel, bigger battery and no notch I can tell you how many takers you'd get.

    dk49 said:
    After having used the Macbook Pro with touch bar for 4 years, I can tell you that it's been basically useless for me. Even a hindrance. And I think most people feel the same. Otherwise why would Apple remove it?

    The only thing I will miss about the touch bar is the spelling suggestions which were handy. 
    Ditto - spelling suggestions and the ability to skip through ads in YouTube! Otherwise, the Touch Bar is essentially an orphan piece of hardware. If apple had actually gone all-in and offered it on the desktop keyboards it might have become more useful but as it is it forced developers who wanted to use it to make allowances for desktops without it and laptops with it. It was also very inconsistently used and forced me to take my eyes off the screen; in the end it's virtually always easier to ignore it like I do on an iMac.
  • Reply 12 of 58
    retrogustoretrogusto Posts: 1,109member
    Appleish said:
    While Apple had "tested versions" with add-ons such as an SD card slot, HDMI, and USB-A, it seems unlikely that Apple will be including them in the new variations, the report also claims.
    Bad news for the three people who wanted these. 
    I’m one of those three, I admit. I struggle to get behind some of Apple’s decisions, especially when they involve omitting features that would presumably cost very little to include, like an SD slot or a USB-A port. I figure it’s about wanting to force their version of the future, but honestly I could do without the “tough love” and sometimes I just want to use the same thing I’ve been using for years if it still works as well as (or better than) the latest thing. And I don’t mind paying more for a premium machine, but not if it’s also less capable or convenient in some simple ways than the machine it would be replacing. Maybe a fairly high percentage of users would never need USB-A at all, this many years since they stopped including it, but maybe a high percentage of users also would never “need” the full potential of the M1 chip either, and that’s not really the point. To me, it’s a question of making the best, most broadly capable and useful machine.

    I also kind of like the Touch Bar, but I can see why it never fully caught on. 
    williamlondonelijahg9secondkox2MrBunsidedocno42watto_cobra
  • Reply 13 of 58
    Let's hope they update the chassis other than simply removing the bezel on the 13 inch and getting rid of the Touch Bar, but I guess they just might. They really need to add HDMI/SD card slots to make it complete. If they insist on dongles, it will be a missed opportunity.
    williamlondonelijahgMrBunside
  • Reply 14 of 58
    entropysentropys Posts: 4,152member
    The touchbar was never fully embraced by developers, and hence failed. Heck, Apple never fully embraced it, no desktop had a touchbar. Which either implies elements of the Apple design team weren’t talking to each other, at all, or Apple knew it was a dead cat. I asked my daughter what she used it mostly for, and she said “emojis”.

    the USB-A absence does suck. A lot of people, and by that I mean my customers, use memory sticks. You have to keep a dongle with you at all times, and they look at you when you bring it out. That is the main reason.

    and how many presentation projectors use usb-c and how many use hdmi?
    edited October 2021 command_fwilliamlondonMplsPelijahgretrogustodocno42
  • Reply 15 of 58
    dk49 said:
    After having used the Macbook Pro with touch bar for 4 years, I can tell you that it's been basically useless for me. Even a hindrance. And I think most people feel the same. Otherwise why would Apple remove it?

    The only thing I will miss about the touch bar is the spelling suggestions which were handy. 
    USB-A port is still very useful and important, yet apple still removed It years ago. 
    williamlondoncommand_felijahgMrBunside
  • Reply 16 of 58
    I'm also hoping any new 16" will do full 4k resolution, irrespective of the rumours to date...
    williamlondon
  • Reply 17 of 58
    22july201322july2013 Posts: 3,564member
    At this point in time I'm going to wait for the event, and when watching it I'll receive AppleInsider notification popups on my Apple Watch telling me what I already know. (There was a time before Apple's live events when AI notifications meant a lot more to me.)

    Any rumour that comes out just before an Apple Event doesn't mean much to me, because those could be authorized leaks intended to build rapport with the leak reporter so that false leaks can be created by Apple in the future. Or they could be leaks that couldn't be avoided due to the large number of people getting their hands on the devices in order to create the launch videos or presentations. 
  • Reply 18 of 58
    I bought the first MBP with a Touch Bar shortly after it was released. I assumed that Apple had a cunning plan for the Touch Bar that would more than compensate for its disadvantages - turned out that they didn't. Touch ID, on the other hand, is really valuable.

    I could write a book on why the Touch Bar is a bad idea but some of the obvious ones are:
    • You have to look at it to use its keys 'cos you can't feel them
    • This is made worse by the fact they move around so the same key can be in different places
    • It often needs an extra press just to use it since it times-out and goes blank (even on mains power)
    • The bar has limited capacity so lists (eg of E-Mail addresses) are often incomplete compared to the version on the display
    • And why wouldn't you use the display version anyway 'cos that's where you are looking?
    • It adds cost to the computer
    • It adds hardware complexity so, in principle, reduces reliability
    • Heck, it probably even reduces battery life
    In its favour, the utility for configuring it is really cool.

    So I hope the new MBP loses the Touch Bar. I really hope it does include the extra port types though, to save carrying dongles or being embarrassed when you've forgotten them. My MBP before the Touch Bar was a real road warrior: you could connect it to almost everything in the real world without a dongle. Making things smaller and lighter by moving required functionality into separate units is not clever design (hey, look at the size of the new notebook - you'll need to remember to take along a battery though, and a display and keyboard and the really neat SSD... but look how small and light the notebook is!).

    As to a notch, I'm not really sure I care. On the iPhone, Apple rearranged icons so the middle of the top of the display wasn't needed. As I write this on my current MBP, I see a big empty space in the middle of the Menu Bar and I happen to know that macOS already knows how to dump Menu Bar items should it be full so I doubt it would be a big issue. If it does come to pass, I also very much doubt it will be as big as the schematic seems to suggest.
    </rant>
    edited October 2021 williamlondonelijahg
  • Reply 19 of 58
    mattinozmattinoz Posts: 2,299member
    entropys said:
    The touchbar was never fully embraced by developers, and hence failed. Heck, Apple never fully embraced it, no desktop had a touchbar. Which either implies elements of the Apple design team weren’t talking to each other, at all, or Apple knew it was a dead cat. I asked my daughter what she used it mostly for, and she said “emojis”.

    the USB-A absence does suck. A lot of people, and by that I mean my customers, use memory sticks. You have to keep a dongle with you at all times, and they look at you when you bring it out. That is the main reason.

    and how many presentation projectors use usb-c and how many use hdmi?
    I’d suggest more mac apps use the Touch Bar for App functionality than ever used the function keys for app functionality. 
    The few I can think of started windows and became crossover. Cross platform apps that started Mac tend to keep function keys free some don’t even allow user customised function keys if they don’t use them. 
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 20 of 58
    MplsPMplsP Posts: 3,911member
    entropys said:
    The touchbar was never fully embraced by developers, and hence failed. Heck, Apple never fully embraced it, no desktop had a touchbar. Which either implies elements of the Apple design team weren’t talking to each other, at all, or Apple knew it was a dead cat. I asked my daughter what she used it mostly for, and she said “emojis”.

    the USB-A absence does suck. A lot of people, and by that I mean my customers, use memory sticks. You have to keep a dongle with you at all times, and they look at you when you bring it out. That is the main reason.

    and how many presentation projectors use usb-c and how many use hdmi?
    No, no - it’s YOUR fault for not having a dongle with you at all times, not Apple’s fault for leaving a standard interface off!

    The battery in my magic mouse is dying so I need to get a new mouse. I just looked on Best Buy’s web site - they have a whopping one mouse that uses USB C in any form. As far as wireless mice go, I can either get a bluetooth model or pay ⅓ the price and get one with a USB dongle. Except they’re all … USB A. I guess Phil Schiller should tell Logitech, microsoft, corsair, etc that USB C is the future and they’re living in the past!

    Your comment about projectors is spot on as well. I have yet to see a conference room with a USB C connection but without exception they all have HDMI cables. 
    command_fwilliamlondonelijahgvedelppamuthuk_vanalingamMrBunsidecuriousrun8
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