At Apple’s Worldwide Developer Conference in 2020, Cupertino announced a transition to its own ARM-based CPUs. Dubbed Apple Silicon chips, developers are already able to begin transitioning and building apps for the new Macs. Until a recent leak, though, we didn’t know when consumers would be able to start purchasing Apple Silicon-based Macs. We’ve suspected the first released would be an Apple Silicon MacBook. A new report in The China Times tells us the first in the lineup will be a relaunched 12-inch model.
The Rebirth of the Economy-Friendly 12-Inch MacBook
If the report is accurate, this could mean an incredible introduction to the Apple Silicon MacBook lineup. The 12-inch MacBook has historically been a much more economic laptop than others, and a leak in July suggested the new computer would start at $799.
ARM MacBook
$799~
MacBook Pro 13”
$1099~
(*idk about the exact price) https://t.co/aypv0pZhGB— Komiya (@komiya_kj) July 25, 2020
The display will, of course, be Retina, and the new Apple Silicon MacBook is said to be built around the A14X chip, codenamed “Tonga.” The new computer will weigh in at less than a kilogram, or less than 2.2 lbs. Battery life, because of the energy-sipping Arm architecture processor, will reach 15 to 20 hours.
Then Again, Maybe the First Apple Silicon MacBook Will be Larger
Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo offers a different take on the first of the ARM-based Macs. He has previously stated that a 13.3-inch MacBook Pro would be first out of the gate. Kuo predicted, in March, that the Apple Silicon 13.3-inch MacBook Pro would go into mass production in the fourth quarter of 2020, shipping either in time for Christmas or sometime in early 2021