New iMac Pro & Apple TV hardware, increased MacBook Pro orders expected in 2021

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AppleInsiderAppleInsider
Posted:
in General Discussion edited December 2020
Component manufacturers claim Apple has an "aggressive" plan for production in 2021, with new Apple TV hardware expected plus a bevy of MacBook Pro models and a new iMac Pro predicted.

13-inch MacBook Pro 2020


Alongside supply chain reports about Apple increasing iPhone 12 orders, it's claimed that Apple is similarly expecting to need more MacBook Pro and iMac Pro models.

"[As well as the iPhone,] Apple is also preparing an aggressive production schedule for its high-end computers including the MacBook Pro and iMac Pro, for 2021, two other people familiar with the matter said," claims Nikkei Asian Review in a report collating supply chain rumors.

The report does not specify which models of MacBook Pro are expected to increase. However, it notes that Apple is transitioning from Intel processors to Apple Silicon. The presumption is that the increased orders will be for new models, and that those new models will use Apple Silicon.

Nikkei Asian Review also does not specify any further details about the iMac Pro. If the report is correct that Apple plans to make more iMac Pro models, and they are also Apple Silicon, it will mark the first update to this model since 2017.

The lack of updates since its original launch has previously led to speculation that the iMac Pro was a stopgap before the launch of the Mac Pro. Certain configurations of the Intel iMac Pro are already closely matched by the Intel iMac.

The Nikkei Asian Review also says that component manufacturers report a new Apple TV will be released at some point in 2021. This backs up recent rumors of an Apple TV 6 coming soon.
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 23
    blastdoorblastdoor Posts: 3,773member
    It’s interesting how when the world seems to be falling apart, Apple digs deep and comes up with amazing products. The iPhone had its beginnings during the financial crisis and ensuing Great Recession and now Apple silicon Macs are arriving during COVID.

    I just can’t overstate how excited I am about the Mac right now. It feels like Apple is finally realizing the 90s era dream for the Mac — an incredibly powerful RISC workstation with the most advanced OS and software stack, resulting in a computer that Wintel just can’t compete with. 

    To paraphrase Captain Ramius, “....and now they will tremble again at the sound of our silence. Make ready to deploy the fanless MacBook Air!”
    randominternetpersonwilliamlondonStrangeDaystokyojimuBeatspatchythepirate
     6Likes 0Dislikes 0Informatives
  • Reply 2 of 23
    Rayz2016rayz2016 Posts: 6,957member
    blastdoor said:
    It’s interesting how when the world seems to be falling apart, Apple digs deep and comes up with amazing products. The iPhone had its beginnings during the financial crisis and ensuing Great Recession and now Apple silicon Macs are arriving during COVID.

    I just can’t overstate how excited I am about the Mac right now. It feels like Apple is finally realizing the 90s era dream for the Mac — an incredibly powerful RISC workstation with the most advanced OS and software stack, resulting in a computer that Wintel just can’t compete with. 

    To paraphrase Captain Ramius, “....and now they will tremble again at the sound of our silence. Make ready to deploy the fanless MacBook Air!”
    Remember when every other computer manufacturer was closing bricks-and-mortar outlets and going online, and Jobs said he was opening up a chain of stores?
    blastdoorwilliamlondonne1Beats
     4Likes 0Dislikes 0Informatives
  • Reply 3 of 23
    wood1208wood1208 Posts: 2,944member
    New beginning for Apple "M" silicon and MAC has started. Future looks bright.
    williamlondon
     1Like 0Dislikes 0Informatives
  • Reply 4 of 23
    randominternetpersonrandominternetperson Posts: 3,198member
    Surely Apple will release Apple Silicon iMacs (non-pro) in the first half of calendar year 2021, it not the first quarter.  I suppose the only reason they wouldn't would be to introduce a more radical change than just an internal update.
    williamlondon
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  • Reply 5 of 23
    blastdoorblastdoor Posts: 3,773member
    randominternetperson said:
    Surely Apple will release Apple Silicon iMacs (non-pro) in the first half of calendar year 2021, it not the first quarter.  I suppose the only reason they wouldn't would be to introduce a more radical change than just an internal update.
    Yeah, I bet there will be a more radical change. 

    I wonder if COVID supply chain issues explains why the mini, MBA, and MBP13 had zero change to physical form. Otherwise, perhaps we would have seen new physical forms there too. 

    The iMac is a much lower volume product. Perhaps that, combined with a later release, will make it easier to update the chassis 
    patchythepirate
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  • Reply 6 of 23
    spice-boyspice-boy Posts: 1,454member
    Now if Apple could only make a stable, drama free OS for it's Macs....
    williamlondon
     0Likes 0Dislikes 1Informative
  • Reply 7 of 23
    Nobullonenobullone Posts: 4member
    The iMac Pro screen should be like a giant iPad. No bottom plate with the apple....
    patchythepirate
     1Like 0Dislikes 0Informatives
  • Reply 8 of 23
    CuJoYYCcujoyyc Posts: 87member
    wood1208 said:
    New beginning for Apple "M" silicon and MAC has started. Future looks bright.
    FYI MAC is ALWAYS Media Access Control. The short version of Macintosh is Mac.

    Yes. The future looks bright. Expect an iMac redesign featuring Apple Silicon in Q1 of 2021.

    I expect an iMac with the M1X or M2 which is essentially 2 x M1 SOC in one integrated chip with a 16 core CPU (maybe just 12 cores), 16 core GPU, 16 core Neural Engine, and double the USB-C/Thunderbolt ports, with HDMI, Ethernet, and even a 3.5 millimetre headphone jack. It will come with with two memory options of 16 or 32 GB of unified memory, FaceID, noticeably better built-in speakers and, optionally (hopefully), the ability to drive two satellite HomePod minis.

    Announced in January or February.

    StrangeDaystmaypatchythepiratefastasleep
     4Likes 0Dislikes 0Informatives
  • Reply 9 of 23
    StrangeDaysstrangedays Posts: 13,172member
    spice-boy said:
    Now if Apple could only make a stable, drama free OS for it's Macs....
    They absolutely do. My Macs have been stable and drama free for well over a decade. Your drama problems may be PEBCAK.
    williamlondonBeatsfastasleep
     3Likes 0Dislikes 0Informatives
  • Reply 10 of 23
    multimediamultimedia Posts: 1,061member
    What does PEBCAK mean?
     0Likes 0Dislikes 0Informatives
  • Reply 11 of 23
    scartartscartart Posts: 201member
    CuJoYYC said:
    I expect an iMac with the M1X or M2 which is essentially 2 x M1 SOC in one integrated chip with a 16 core CPU (maybe just 12 cores), 16 core GPU, 16 core Neural Engine, and double the USB-C/Thunderbolt ports, with HDMI, Ethernet, and even a 3.5 millimetre headphone jack. It will come with with two memory options of 16 or 32 GB of unified memory, FaceID, noticeably better built-in speakers and, optionally (hopefully), the ability to drive two satellite HomePod minis.

    Announced in January or February.

    That may be good enough for a 21" iMac replacement but not the 27". The current iMac can support up to 128GB of memory, and has much higher GPU performance with up to 16GB of dedicated memory, compared to a couple of M1s put together with shared video memory.

    These higher end machines need a lot more engineering around how to incorporate GPUs and extra memory - unified memory on the SoC isn't scalable into the higher end iMacs and Pro machines. I'd imagine that all the cores will be high performance, no real need to waste space on efficiency cores on a desktop class processor, and hopefully an increase in clock speed over the M1 too.
    williamlondon
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  • Reply 12 of 23
    scartartscartart Posts: 201member

    multimedia said:
    What does PEBCAK mean?
    User error. Problem exists between chair and keyboard, i.e. the person.
    Beatsbalumuthuk_vanalingam
     2Likes 0Dislikes 1Informative
  • Reply 13 of 23
    tokyojimutokyojimu Posts: 537member
    blastdoor said:
    ... an incredibly powerful RISC workstation with the most advanced OS and software stack,
    Maybe it’s time to retire my Sun workstation. 😀
    williamlondon
     1Like 0Dislikes 0Informatives
  • Reply 14 of 23
    blastdoorblastdoor Posts: 3,773member
    StrangeDays said:
    spice-boy said:
    Now if Apple could only make a stable, drama free OS for it's Macs....
    They absolutely do. My Macs have been stable and drama free for well over a decade. Your drama problems may be PEBCAK.
    Well, yes and no. Apple makes transitions sometimes that can be painful. Shedding 32 bit apps, the switch from OpenGL to Metal, the move from Objective-C to Swift. All good stuff in the long run, but the transitions can be kind of disruptive and feel like the opposite of stable and drama free. 

    I don't know if that's the kind of stuff spice-boy was referring to or not, but if it was, I sympathize. 

    Hopefully, though, the biggest transitions are over and we can have some peace and prosperity for a while. 
     0Likes 0Dislikes 0Informatives
  • Reply 15 of 23
    Beatsbeats Posts: 3,073member
    Broken record but I can't help it:

    Apple TV with M1 and exclusive games that aren't capped at iPhone 6s!!

    They don't have to be Apple Arcade games but even if they are... so what?
    canukstorm
     1Like 0Dislikes 0Informatives
  • Reply 16 of 23
    Beatsbeats Posts: 3,073member
    Rayz2016 said:
    blastdoor said:
    It’s interesting how when the world seems to be falling apart, Apple digs deep and comes up with amazing products. The iPhone had its beginnings during the financial crisis and ensuing Great Recession and now Apple silicon Macs are arriving during COVID.

    I just can’t overstate how excited I am about the Mac right now. It feels like Apple is finally realizing the 90s era dream for the Mac — an incredibly powerful RISC workstation with the most advanced OS and software stack, resulting in a computer that Wintel just can’t compete with. 

    To paraphrase Captain Ramius, “....and now they will tremble again at the sound of our silence. Make ready to deploy the fanless MacBook Air!”
    Remember when every other computer manufacturer was closing bricks-and-mortar outlets and going online, and Jobs said he was opening up a chain of stores?

    And internet comments always knew better than Apple.

    Remember when AirPods were "too expensive"?
     0Likes 0Dislikes 0Informatives
  • Reply 17 of 23
    bradmacprobradmacpro Posts: 126member
    Let's hope they can keep the cooling system up to the challenge. iMacs have been a real compromise in cooling. Asking it to be four times more powerful and 100 watts of power is all well and good, but that's a lot to ask of something so compact. The system on a chip that is, not the iMac in general.
     0Likes 0Dislikes 0Informatives
  • Reply 18 of 23
    muaddibmuaddib Posts: 84member
    Apple may wait until TSMC goes to 3nm for the iMac 27" and Mac Pro M processors.
     0Likes 0Dislikes 0Informatives
  • Reply 19 of 23
    canukstormcanukstorm Posts: 2,784member
    blastdoor said:
    StrangeDays said:
    spice-boy said:
    Now if Apple could only make a stable, drama free OS for it's Macs....
    They absolutely do. My Macs have been stable and drama free for well over a decade. Your drama problems may be PEBCAK.
    Well, yes and no. Apple makes transitions sometimes that can be painful. Shedding 32 bit apps, the switch from OpenGL to Metal, the move from Objective-C to Swift. All good stuff in the long run, but the transitions can be kind of disruptive and feel like the opposite of stable and drama free. 

    I don't know if that's the kind of stuff spice-boy was referring to or not, but if it was, I sympathize. 

    Hopefully, though, the biggest transitions are over and we can have some peace and prosperity for a while. 
    If they were stable and drama free, they wouldn't be called transitions.
     0Likes 0Dislikes 0Informatives
  • Reply 20 of 23
    patchythepiratepatchythepirate Posts: 1,254member
    CuJoYYC said:
    wood1208 said:
    New beginning for Apple "M" silicon and MAC has started. Future looks bright.
    FYI MAC is ALWAYS Media Access Control. The short version of Macintosh is Mac.

    Yes. The future looks bright. Expect an iMac redesign featuring Apple Silicon in Q1 of 2021.

    I expect an iMac with the M1X or M2 which is essentially 2 x M1 SOC in one integrated chip with a 16 core CPU (maybe just 12 cores), 16 core GPU, 16 core Neural Engine, and double the USB-C/Thunderbolt ports, with HDMI, Ethernet, and even a 3.5 millimetre headphone jack. It will come with with two memory options of 16 or 32 GB of unified memory, FaceID, noticeably better built-in speakers and, optionally (hopefully), the ability to drive two satellite HomePod minis.

    Announced in January or February.


    I would be so damn happy if this happened. Instant buy.
     0Likes 0Dislikes 0Informatives
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