New marketing stage from Apple

Multiple sites and influencers already started that is internally in Apple called - "M1 is enough and it is perfect".

Main goal is to hide that iMacs and other new stuff won't get M2 chip until at least late 2021 or early 2022, contrary to expected Apple plans. TSMC is too overloaded and 4nm is mostly not much new process and more of special marketing change requested by Apple (who will get exclusive access for at least one year).

Apple PR guys are now in tight talks and sometimes talk as much as around 40% of infuencer yearly income as stimulus for Apple product proper testing and coverage, this will also include coverage of any small price drops (that become almost standard for all large tech sites since early 2020).

As expected, Apple induced leak

Apple's successor to its M1 Apple Silicon chip could arrive in MacBook computers by the second half of this year, according to a report from Nikkei. Tentatively known as M2, the processor has reportedly gone into production and could start shipping by July 2021.

The chipsets will be produced by fab giant TSMC using its latest technology, known as 5-nanometer plus (N5P). Production of the chipsets will reportedly take at least three months. As before, the M2 would be a complete system-on-a-chip, with CPU, GPU and AI processors all integrated.

During summer the leaks will change to allow slightly more delays.

Apple should get M2 models shipping in April already according to 2020 plans.

MacBook Pro that is expected as early as this summer won’t use a chip with the “M2” moniker, but instead feature the same cores — just more of them — and will be called the M1X.

• The M1X is slated for a Q4 2021 release
• The M2 is slated for a Q1 2022 release alongside the 2022 MacBook Air

M1X is an extension of the M1 that will contain more thunderbolt channels, more cpu cores, more gpu cores, and greater power draw. The M1X will be featured in the Higher end Mac Mini, the Macbook Pro 14 and 16, and a higher end iMac.

Due to issue with thermals Apple will add mostly low performance cores, as such way number is looking nice.

Now almost all leading TSMC engineers are assigned to the task of solving multiple issues with Apple M2 chip. And related issues with TSMC 5nm high performance process.

The latest data states that the new 14- and 16-inch MacBook Pros will launch in the third or fourth quarter of this year.

Apple partners will begin shipping new MacBook Pros in the third quarter, but it is unclear if we are talking about deliveries of finished computers, or separate components for their production. It should be noted that earlier Nikkei Asia and DigiTimes have repeatedly reported that mass production of new 14- and 16-inch MacBook Pros based on Apple's branded ARM chips will begin no earlier than the third quarter.

Note that really new M3 chips (M2 will have same cores, but more of them) will be postponed and we will see another version of Intel 14nm++ approach, this time from Apple, as TSMC progress is slowing down fast.

Apple MacBook Pro with Apple M1 Chip (13-inch, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD Storage, $1099

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08N5N6RSS