Apple releases new MacBooks and Mac minis in rare January issue

Apple unveiled a MacBook based on its new M2 Pro and M2 Max chips on Tuesday, making a surprise announcement weeks ahead of its traditional launch.

The Mac mini starts at $599, which is cheaper than the latest iPhone 14 series and is available starting January 24th. The 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pros with the latest chips start at $1,999, up from $1,299 for a 13-inch. inch model equipped with M2 chip.

Apple’s latest chips are upgrades to the M2 chip released last year and are part of the company’s efforts to rely more on chips developed in-house after phasing out Intel technology in 2020 after 15 years of collaboration. INTC.O.

The M2 Pro has nearly 20% more transistors than the M1 Pro and twice as many as the M2, helping programs like Adobe Photoshop complete heavy workloads “faster than ever,” Apple says.

The company replaced chip maker Nvidia to become one of the top 10 semiconductor vendors by revenue last year, according to a Gartner report released Tuesday.

“This is all due to the delay in the transition to a new chipset … Due to the delay, Apple was faced with questions: wait for the traditional expected launch or do something a little unexpected,” said Canalys analyst Runar Bjorhovde.

“It’s a great way to surprise consumers and competitors,” said Bjorhovde, adding that the announcement could generate some hype when the market is currently a challenging one for suppliers and a quiet month for Apple.

The company traditionally hosts four launch events a year, with the first spring event scheduled for March when Apple launches its iMacs and accessories.

Last year, Apple released a cheaper iPhone and the M1 Ultra chip in March, followed by the iPhone 14 before the holidays, a phone that didn’t get as much attention due to its high price and similarities to the iPhone 13.