The year 2021 is about to be a massive year for the Mac. Apple began the transition to Apple Silicon processors on the Mac last year with a new Mac mini, a new 13-inch MacBook Pro and a new MacBook Air. things get stronger this year, with rumors currently suggesting the first redesign of the iMac in a decade, new 14 and 16 inch MacBook Pro models and more.
Here’s everything we expect from the Mac line and the Apple Silicon transition this year …
Apple acknowledged that it will take approximately two years to transition the entire Mac line to Apple Silicon chips. The new Mac mini, MacBook Air and MacBook Pro are simply the first three Apple Silicon Macs available. We expect the following Macs to be introduced slowly over the next two years until the transition is complete.
New iMac
One of the most anticipated Macs to transition to the Apple Silicon is the iMac. The iMac received its most recent internal update in August, but that update simply included new Intel processors inside, with the external design remaining unchanged.
In fact, the iMac is long overdue for an industrial redesign. The external chassis was last revised in 2012, when Apple launched a new 5 mm thick iMac shell on the sides. But this design feature can only be seen from the side, and looking ahead, the iMac has remained unchanged for a decade.
Reliable Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has repeatedly reported that Apple will launch a redesigned iMac with a 24-inch screen in 2021. More recently, Bloomberg reported that Apple has two new iMacs booked for this year to replace existing models of 21.5 inches and 27 inches with a design similar to the Pro Display XDR.
“The redesign of the iMac will be one of the biggest visual updates to any Apple product this year,” says the report, citing people familiar with Apple’s roadmap. This will include removing the “chin area” from the bottom, as well as the straight back instead of the current curved design. Apple is planning two versions to replace existing 21.5 and 27 inch models “later this year”.
Previous reports have indicated that Apple is developing a 24-inch iMac, which theoretically would serve as a replacement for the 21.5-inch model. Bloomberg it does not specifically mention the screen sizes of the new iMac design, instead it just says that there will be two versions to “replace” the existing options of 21.5 inches and 27 inches.
New MacBook Pros
A 13-inch version of the MacBook Pro is now available with Apple Silicon, but is quite limited: two Thunderbolt ports, a maximum of 16 GB of unified memory and a maximum of 2 TB of SSD storage. We expect Apple to transition from its next-generation MacBook Pros, and there’s a lot to look forward to.
First, several reports have suggested that Apple is developing a redesigned 14-inch MacBook Pro. Kuo said this will be released in the second or third quarter of 2021. In November, Kuo doubled that claim and reported that MacBooks with “new industrial formats and designs” will be launched in the second half of 2021.
Specifically, Kuo says that Apple has a new line of MacBook Pro 14 and 16 inches scheduled for this year. Design changes will include square sides on the top and bottom halves of the machine, similar to the flat design of the iPad Pro and adopted in the iPhone 12 series.
The biggest design change of all, however, is that the Touch Bar will be completely removed, with Apple reverting to a physical line of function keys. This is five years after Apple first introduced the Touch Bar in 2016, heralding it as the future Mac input method.
Kuo also claims that the new MacBook Pro will include returning MagSafe for charging, similar to the technology used in MacBooks prior to 2016. The analyst adds that the 2021 MacBook Pros will also include more integrated IO ports, meaning that most users will not you will need to purchase additional dongles.
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New Mac Pro
The Mac Pro is one of the most mysterious products in Apple’s lineup and it is unclear where it fits into Apple’s silicon roadmap. More recently, Bloomberg reported that Apple has a new Mac Pro under development that will be about half the size of the current Mac Pro design.
Curiously, Bloomberg says the smaller Mac Pro could “invoke the nostalgia for the Power Mac G4 Cube”. It would be powered by Apple Silicon inside.
Mac Pro is more difficult to predict because it features an incredibly modular design, allowing users to mix and match components and update individual parts. It is not clear how Apple’s silicon will influence this design. It is also unclear whether the new Mac Pro will arrive in 2021 or elsewhere in the roadmap.
Mac mini
The current M1 Mac mini suffers from limitations similar to those of the 13-inch MacBook Pro and reaches a maximum of 16 GB of memory and 2 TB, and there are only two Thunderbolt ports on the rear and no 10 Gb Ethernet. In fact, this is a downgrade compared to the previous generation of the Intel Mac mini, which Apple continues to sell today.
It is possible that Apple will have a new Mac mini in line with four Thunderbolt ports and other high end specifications, but we will have to wait to find out for sure.
More Intel Macs?
Finally, it is not clear whether Apple has plans to launch additional Macs using Intel processors. At WWDC last year, Apple said it still had more Intel Macs in preparation, but technically this has already been proven with the new iMacs launched in August.
In response to a recent report by Ming-Chi Kuo, a trusted Twitter leaker L0vetodream he said the redesigned form factor was “not just for silicon”, but this message is somewhat cryptic and obscure. It may be referring to Apple maintaining the Intel Mac Pro because of its high level of customization.
Indeed, Bloomberg reports that in addition to the mid-sized Mac Pro, Apple is also planning a version with the same design as the current Mac Pro, which may continue to use Intel processors for now.
Conclusion: Apple Silicon in 2021
Of course, 2021 appears to be an important year for the Mac, from the 14-inch MacBook Pro to a completely redesigned iMac line for the first time in a decade. It is not a guarantee that all this new hardware will be released this year, but as it stands now, we have a lot to look forward to in 2021.
What do you think about Apple’s ongoing transition to Apple Silicon on the Mac line? What do you most want to try? Let us know in the comments!
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