Supply chain gearing up for late 2021 MacBook Pro with mini LED displays

AppleInsider · February 25, 2021 4:39PM

An LED backlight supplier called Radiant may be the sole supplier of mini LED for Apple's rumored 14-inch MacBook Pro and a 16-inch MacBook Pro refresh due in late 2021, a new report claims.

Apple is expected to add mini LED to many products in its lineup

Apple is expected to begin using mini LED backlights across most of its product lines in 2021, including in new MacBook Pros and iPad Pros. The technology will enable more even lighting, better contrast, and more accurate color reproduction in Apple's LCDs.

The supply chain report shared by Digitimes doesn't provide a lot of details on the matter. A single line suggests that Radiant will be the exclusive supplier of backlight units for Apple's rumored 14-inch MacBook Pro and 16-inch MacBook Pro refresh.

The sources quote a "second-half 2021" release for the new computers, which lines up with expectations. Ming-Chi Kuo previously reported that there would be two new MacBook Pro models with mini LED sometime in 2021. A more recent report from Kuo said the redesigned MacBook Pros would include an HDMI port and SD card slot -- due in the second half of 2021.

Apple is also expected to use mini LED in the iPad Pro, and Kuo said it will be the first product with the new technology. Apple had apparently targeted a late 2020 release for the new iPad Pros, but had to delay due to coronavirus-related shortages.

Apple is expected to release the redesigned "14-inch MacBook Pro" with mini LED in the fall. With the return of much-desired ports, new display technology, and the possible return of MagSafe, it seems this will be a highly demanded upgrade.

Kuyangkoh · February 25, 2021 4:50PM

On the sidelines for upgrades to ipad pro12”

bageljoey · February 25, 2021 4:56PM

With the return of much-desired ports, new display technology, and the possible return of MagSafe, it seems this will be a highly demanded upgrade.

Another Supercycle? I love it!

sdw2001 · February 25, 2021 6:07PM

Definitely stoked for it. I am on a mid-2015 MBP (pre-touch bar). It's still going strong. But I'll likely be looking to upgrade when the M1's come out.

Fred257 · February 25, 2021 8:33PM

I’m still using a 2013 MBP 13’. Will get the 14 when it comes out

entropys · February 25, 2021 8:42PM

But sad for late 2021. Seems so very far away.
on the other hand it means I can start saving for the inevitable swag of newly released iOS, iPadOS and Mac OS devices. I am surprised releasing them all at once doesn’t have some impact on overall sales as people can’t go all at once.

tzeshan · February 25, 2021 10:15PM

I'd like to upgrade to an M1 MacBook Pro in order to run iOS apps.

adyb · February 25, 2021 11:29PM

Hmmm - might be enough for me to upgrade from my 15’ mid 2012 rMBP - 14’ might be an acceptable compromise between screen size & cost!

seankill · February 26, 2021 4:03AM

adyb said:

Hmmm - might be enough for me to upgrade from my 15’ mid 2012 rMBP - 14’ might be an acceptable compromise between screen size & cost!

It’s nice to see Apple return to functional. I’m still running a mid-2012 as well. Awesome laptop but showing it’s age now. The post 2015 MacBooks just suck IMO. The entire world uses HDMI ports, let’s get rid of ours..... morons. They are good laptops but the 2015 was the last best. Looks like that will change.

MplsP · February 26, 2021 4:21AM

seankill said:

adyb said:

Hmmm - might be enough for me to upgrade from my 15’ mid 2012 rMBP - 14’ might be an acceptable compromise between screen size & cost!

It’s nice to see Apple return to functional. I’m still running a mid-2012 as well. Awesome laptop but showing it’s age now. The post 2015 MacBooks just suck IMO. The entire world uses HDMI ports, let’s get rid of ours..... morons. They are good laptops but the 2015 was the last best. Looks like that will change.

no, no. You have it all wrong. You can get a USB C-HDMI converter, so it's not an issue at all, and if you don't have the adapter with you then it's your fault for not planning ahead, not Apple's fault for making a computer that lacks a standard port and forces you to accommodate. As a consumer, it's your job to adjust to what Apple thinks you need, not the other way around. /s

I'm really hoping the rumors are true. I replaced my aging 2011 MacBook air with a 2017 MBP but if I could get a M1 MBP with more ports, MagSafe and the better keyboard I would swap it out in a heartbeat.

9secondkox2 · February 26, 2021 5:14AM

Can’t wait to upgrade my late 2016 15” MBP with the new M series model.

The current unit performs OK. Nothing special, even though it’s upgraded to the Max.

It just never was that much of a performer.

Looking forward to some significant power boost.

Likewise, looking to upgrade my 2015 iMac 5k ASAP.

The 2020 spec bump was tempting but no way am I missing out on the Apple Solicon and hardware redesign.

Just wish it wasn’t nearly a year away...

Hope they don’t skimp on RAM or kill us with RAM prices.

16 GB is not enough. 32 GB is workable.

But 64 GB (at least) in the notebook and at least 128 in the iMac would be just right.

MplsP · February 26, 2021 12:14PM

9secondkox2 said:

Can’t wait to upgrade my late 2016 15” MBP with the new M series model.

The current unit performs OK. Nothing special, even though it’s upgraded to the Max.

It just never was that much of a performer.

Looking forward to some significant power boost.

Likewise, looking to upgrade my 2015 iMac 5k ASAP.

The 2020 spec bump was tempting but no way am I missing out on the Apple Solicon and hardware redesign.

Just wish it wasn’t nearly a year away...

Hope they don’t skimp on RAM or kill us with RAM prices.

16 GB is not enough. 32 GB is workable.

But 64 GB (at least) in the notebook and at least 128 in the iMac would be just right.

When has Apple not overcharged for RAM?

I’m not an expert, but from what I’ve read, RAM requirements on the M1 machines aren’t necessarily the same as on intel machines, though. Even the base 8GB configuration seems to perform above what one would expect for the amount of storage.

lkrupp · February 26, 2021 2:06PM

Kuyangkoh said:

On the sidelines for upgrades to ipad pro12"

Except this article is about the MBP Pro

thedba · February 27, 2021 4:17PM

MplsP said:

seankill said:

adyb said:

Hmmm - might be enough for me to upgrade from my 15’ mid 2012 rMBP - 14’ might be an acceptable compromise between screen size & cost!

It’s nice to see Apple return to functional. I’m still running a mid-2012 as well. Awesome laptop but showing it’s age now. The post 2015 MacBooks just suck IMO. The entire world uses HDMI ports, let’s get rid of ours..... morons. They are good laptops but the 2015 was the last best. Looks like that will change.

no, no. You have it all wrong. You can get a USB C-HDMI converter, so it's not an issue at all, and if you don't have the adapter with you then it's your fault for not planning ahead, not Apple's fault for making a computer that lacks a standard port and forces you to accommodate. As a consumer, it's your job to adjust to what Apple thinks you need, not the other way around. /s

I'm really hoping the rumors are true. I replaced my aging 2011 MacBook air with a 2017 MBP but if I could get a M1 MBP with more ports, MagSafe and the better keyboard I would swap it out in a heartbeat.

People all over the world have adapted to the so-called lack of ports problem by having the necessary adapters with them when their job depends on that.
Apple has been selling 4-5 million Macs per quarter with absolutely zero ports according to some of you but sure let’s pretend they know nothing and all the wisdom is concentrated in these tech forums that at best represent 1/1000th of a percent of the tech buying public.

As for these rumours, I’m afraid many here will be disappointed if their beloved {insert your legacy port here} doesn’t materialize this coming fall.

9secondkox2 · February 27, 2021 4:19PM

MplsP said:

9secondkox2 said:

Can’t wait to upgrade my late 2016 15” MBP with the new M series model.

The current unit performs OK. Nothing special, even though it’s upgraded to the Max.

It just never was that much of a performer.

Looking forward to some significant power boost.

Likewise, looking to upgrade my 2015 iMac 5k ASAP.

The 2020 spec bump was tempting but no way am I missing out on the Apple Solicon and hardware redesign.

Just wish it wasn’t nearly a year away...

Hope they don’t skimp on RAM or kill us with RAM prices.

16 GB is not enough. 32 GB is workable.

But 64 GB (at least) in the notebook and at least 128 in the iMac would be just right.

When has Apple not overcharged for RAM?

I’m not an expert, but from what I’ve read, RAM requirements on the M1 machines aren’t necessarily the same as on intel machines, though. Even the base 8GB configuration seems to perform above what one would expect for the amount of storage.

RAM is RAM.

M1 machines need as much as any other.

It “seems” like they don’t “need” as much due to how efficient they utilize everything - and how intensely they swap to disk when RAM is in short supply.

The M series Macs in the future really need to pack some serious RAM.

The current M1 just isn’t capable of addressing a lot of things right now. It’s basically a hot rodded iPhone chip in its current form. Thst explsins the lack of IO, the multi-monitor limitations, and Apple’s reluctance to add much RAM to any configuration.

But the reality is that data is data. Byte sizes aren’t changing. And we need tons of RAM to keep the processors fed and working efficiently.

I routinely use nearly the entire Creative Suite every day , from asset creation in illustrator and photoshop to animating the assets to After Effects, to composing, editing and encoding final 4K videos along with final layout of and export print design PDF exports for publishing. I have multiple external add drives attached for the sole purpose of scratch/swap and then another for storage.

MY MBP topped out at 16 GB RAM. My iMac 5k supported 64 GB with aftermarket RAM. It was great a couple years back when I didn’t need to do so much at nearly the same time. Now with a heavy workload, it drags. The notebook is unusable for most of my projects now, so I use it to work on assets while rendering AE comps. A combo of Dropbox and Airdrop is like manna from heaven in situations like this.

That’s me personally. My team is not as broad in what they do, but each of them does a lot in each niche.

We honestly really do NEED THE RAM.

MplsP · February 27, 2021 11:17PM

9secondkox2 said:

MplsP said:

9secondkox2 said:

Can’t wait to upgrade my late 2016 15” MBP with the new M series model.

The current unit performs OK. Nothing special, even though it’s upgraded to the Max.

It just never was that much of a performer.

Looking forward to some significant power boost.

Likewise, looking to upgrade my 2015 iMac 5k ASAP.

The 2020 spec bump was tempting but no way am I missing out on the Apple Solicon and hardware redesign.

Just wish it wasn’t nearly a year away...

Hope they don’t skimp on RAM or kill us with RAM prices.

16 GB is not enough. 32 GB is workable.

But 64 GB (at least) in the notebook and at least 128 in the iMac would be just right.

When has Apple not overcharged for RAM?

I’m not an expert, but from what I’ve read, RAM requirements on the M1 machines aren’t necessarily the same as on intel machines, though. Even the base 8GB configuration seems to perform above what one would expect for the amount of storage.

RAM is RAM.

M1 machines need as much as any other.

It “seems” like they don’t “need” as much due to how efficient they utilize everything - and how intensely they swap to disk when RAM is in short supply.

The M series Macs in the future really need to pack some serious RAM.

The current M1 just isn’t capable of addressing a lot of things right now. It’s basically a hot rodded iPhone chip in its current form. Thst explsins the lack of IO, the multi-monitor limitations, and Apple’s reluctance to add much RAM to any configuration.

But the reality is that data is data. Byte sizes aren’t changing. And we need tons of RAM to keep the processors fed and working efficiently.

I routinely use nearly the entire Creative Suite every day , from asset creation in illustrator and photoshop to animating the assets to After Effects, to composing, editing and encoding final 4K videos along with final layout of and export print design PDF exports for publishing. I have multiple external add drives attached for the sole purpose of scratch/swap and then another for storage.

MY MBP topped out at 16 GB RAM. My iMac 5k supported 64 GB with aftermarket RAM. It was great a couple years back when I didn’t need to do so much at nearly the same time. Now with a heavy workload, it drags. The notebook is unusable for most of my projects now, so I use it to work on assets while rendering AE comps. A combo of Dropbox and Airdrop is like manna from heaven in situations like this.

That’s me personally. My team is not as broad in what they do, but each of them does a lot in each niche.

We honestly really do NEED THE RAM.

The efficiency is the key - better use can reduce the need, but ultimately you are right, and it doesn't matter how efficient the utilization is, if you have a 12GB file, an 8GB machine is going to be doing a ton of swapping.

We'll see what the specs are with the next round of hardware but I'd be surprised if Apple doesn't increase the RAM availability.

randominternetperson · February 28, 2021 12:54AM

MplsP said:

seankill said:

adyb said:

Hmmm - might be enough for me to upgrade from my 15’ mid 2012 rMBP - 14’ might be an acceptable compromise between screen size & cost!

It’s nice to see Apple return to functional. I’m still running a mid-2012 as well. Awesome laptop but showing it’s age now. The post 2015 MacBooks just suck IMO. The entire world uses HDMI ports, let’s get rid of ours..... morons. They are good laptops but the 2015 was the last best. Looks like that will change.

no, no. You have it all wrong. You can get a USB C-HDMI converter, so it's not an issue at all, and if you don't have the adapter with you then it's your fault for not planning ahead...

I agree. I also appreciate being able to have the HDMI hanging off either side of my MacBook. USB-C is great (my work-supplied Dell only has USB-C ports, so Apple isn’t alone here).

9secondkox2 · February 28, 2021 2:02AM

MplsP said:

9secondkox2 said:

MplsP said:

9secondkox2 said:

Can’t wait to upgrade my late 2016 15” MBP with the new M series model.

The current unit performs OK. Nothing special, even though it’s upgraded to the Max.

It just never was that much of a performer.

Looking forward to some significant power boost.

Likewise, looking to upgrade my 2015 iMac 5k ASAP.

The 2020 spec bump was tempting but no way am I missing out on the Apple Solicon and hardware redesign.

Just wish it wasn’t nearly a year away...

Hope they don’t skimp on RAM or kill us with RAM prices.

16 GB is not enough. 32 GB is workable.

But 64 GB (at least) in the notebook and at least 128 in the iMac would be just right.

When has Apple not overcharged for RAM?

I’m not an expert, but from what I’ve read, RAM requirements on the M1 machines aren’t necessarily the same as on intel machines, though. Even the base 8GB configuration seems to perform above what one would expect for the amount of storage.

RAM is RAM.

M1 machines need as much as any other.

It “seems” like they don’t “need” as much due to how efficient they utilize everything - and how intensely they swap to disk when RAM is in short supply.

The M series Macs in the future really need to pack some serious RAM.

The current M1 just isn’t capable of addressing a lot of things right now. It’s basically a hot rodded iPhone chip in its current form. Thst explsins the lack of IO, the multi-monitor limitations, and Apple’s reluctance to add much RAM to any configuration.

But the reality is that data is data. Byte sizes aren’t changing. And we need tons of RAM to keep the processors fed and working efficiently.

I routinely use nearly the entire Creative Suite every day , from asset creation in illustrator and photoshop to animating the assets to After Effects, to composing, editing and encoding final 4K videos along with final layout of and export print design PDF exports for publishing. I have multiple external add drives attached for the sole purpose of scratch/swap and then another for storage.

MY MBP topped out at 16 GB RAM. My iMac 5k supported 64 GB with aftermarket RAM. It was great a couple years back when I didn’t need to do so much at nearly the same time. Now with a heavy workload, it drags. The notebook is unusable for most of my projects now, so I use it to work on assets while rendering AE comps. A combo of Dropbox and Airdrop is like manna from heaven in situations like this.

That’s me personally. My team is not as broad in what they do, but each of them does a lot in each niche.

We honestly really do NEED THE RAM.

The efficiency is the key - better use can reduce the need, but ultimately you are right, and it doesn't matter how efficient the utilization is, if you have a 12GB file, an 8GB machine is going to be doing a ton of swapping.

We'll see what the specs are with the next round of hardware but I'd be surprised if Apple doesn't increase the RAM availability.

Efficiency doesn’t change the need for working memory. Apple just pretend-solved the M1 limitation with aggressive SSD swap.

No thank you.

Not only is that not nearly as efficient, it’s the wrong tool for the job. Not very Apple like.

If you are a consumer of content and just need to do some browsing, email, typing, and the occasion iMovie project, you don’t need the ram.

For creative pros and multimedia production, you absolutely need the ram.

Apple has the potential to create a computing paradigm shift. Thst won’t happen if they think like rocket scientists with the SOC, but then become a Luddite with the embedded RAM. That would be a major backward step.

Like you, I cannot wait to see what’s next. Hopefully, they offer an assortment of options that also caters to those who honestly need more - and do it without having artificially created a “need” to price gouge.

Supply chain gearing up for late 2021 MacBook Pro with mini LED displays

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