To try and help you plan prospective computer purchases we have taken a look at all the information out there to see which Mac computers Apple is expected to release in 2021 and which we are going to have to wait until 2022 to get.

In 2020, we saw Apple M1 Arm-based MacBook Air, MacBook Pro and Mac mini computers all pitched as 1st generation entry-level Mac computers.

It is currently being predicted that the first half of 2021 will see an Apple Silicon powered iMac and in the second half, we all see new Apple Silicon 14 inch and 16 inch Mac Book Pro laptops.

iMac 2021

The iMac is long overdue a redesign. The current iMacs are based on a 2007 design with some tweaks in 2012. As to a new Apple Silicon iMac, there have been rumours since before the WWDC 2020 keynote when Apple announced they would be producing Macs with their own Arm-based Apple Silicon SoC chips.

In the end, it was early August when New Apple Intel iMac Models Announced. The updates included Intel 10th Gen Comet Lake processors and a new higher-resolution 1080p HD webcam up from the 720p version found in previous Macs. When it came to hard drives, SSDs became standard across the line, which meant all iMacs now have Apple’s T2 chips, and the end of the old Apple Fusion drives, which were problematic to DAW users. All of which was predicted by Sonny back in June 2020, he just didn’t get the date right.

What is interesting is that Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, who is an analyst at TF International Securities, a financial services group in the Asia-Pacific region and gathers intelligence from his contacts in Apple's Asian supply chain, translating the information he gleans into research notes for clients, and with his connections with the manufacturing world, has a reliable insight into future products. He said in a note to investors around WWDC 2020 that the first Mac models to adopt Arm-based chips would be the 13.3-inch MacBook Pro and an iMac with a redesigned form factor, with Apple planning to launch the new models in the fourth quarter of 2020 or early in 2021 at the earliest.

“ARM ‌iMac‌ will be equipped with the all-new form factor design and a 24- inch display. Apple will launch the refresh of existing Intel ‌iMac‌ in 3Q20 before launching the ARM ‌iMac‌.”

He was right about the MacBook Pro and that Apple would release new Intel-powered iMacs but it looks like the 2021 date is going be correct for a new Apple Silicon powered iMac.

Scroll forward to the beginning of 2021, and Sonny’s phrase “iPad Pro design language” continues to be reported along with thinner bezels and a 24-inch screen size, even though no one has expanded on what “iPad Pro design language” would actually mean or look like.

Add to this the reports that Apple is developing the next generation of Apple Silicon chips Apple MacBook Pro M1X Processor Leaked - Find Out More - UPDATED, it is being predicted that the new Apple Silicon powered iMac will have a next-gen SoC chip with more processors and better graphics. As Tom’s Hardware reported…

“And if the details about the number of cores are true, then this really is set out to be one hell of a chip. Just for reference, the current M1 chip only has eight cores in total, with four high-performance and four efficient cores inside. Eight performance cores is going to be a sight to see, assuming Apple can keep the power requirements at manageable levels.

Some of the design changes make sense and have precedent, such as the smaller bezels, with Apple shrinking the bezels, upgrading the camera (maybe adding Face ID to the Mac for the first time), improving the display’s dynamic range, with the possibility of the Mini-LED display to be included, (although this may be held back for the 27 Inch iMac), whilst keeping it all wrapped up in the familiar shape. That said, Jason Snell from Macworld would like Apple to go further on an iMac redesign…

“My hope is that Apple will go a little bit further, taking a page from Microsoft’s Surface Studio and making the iMac able to drop down into more of a drafting-table configuration, where it can be driven by an Apple Pencil, if not fingertip input. But my bet is that Apple will take the conservative route and make an iMac that seems familiar, yet updated for a new decade.”

But Craig Federighi, Apple’s SVP of software engineering, has made it very clear there won’t be a Mac with a touchscreen for years, if ever, so Jason may have a long wait for a drafting table format iMac.

UPDATE: iMac 2021

In a report published on January 16th 2021, Mark Gurman reports that the new iMac models will feature slimmed down bezels around the screen, and the metal ‘chin’ will go and be replaced with a design similar to the Pro Display XDR monitor that Apple released in 2019.

Mark goes on to say that rather than a curved rear design, the 2021 iMacs will feature a flat back, similar to the design Ming-Chi Kuo is reporting for the upcoming MacBook Pro models, and it is being suggested that this is what is meant by Sonny’s "iPad Pro design language."

Mark also suggests that there will be two versions to replace the existing 21.5 and 27-inch models.

All in all, the rumours and leaks point to an Apple Silicon powered 24-inch screen iMac by the middle of 2021.

14 Inch And 16 Inch MacBook Pro 2021

Even though Apple has released the entry-level 13 Inch MacBook Pro, which we have tested with Pro Tools Logic Pro and Studio One, there is no doubt that this is the entry-level MacBook Pro and it looks like the 14 and 16-inch versions will be better suited to professionals.

As we reported in our article Apple MacBook Pro M1X Processor Leaked - Find Out More - UPDATED as well as reporting new Apple Silicon chips Apple leaker @LeaksApplePro also reported the specs of a new 16-inch Macbook Pro with an M1X chip, up to 64GB of Ram, up to 8TB of storage, starting at $2,399.

He did report that it would be available in the first quarter of 2021, but @LeaksApplePro has had a mixed track record but when you tie this in with a research note obtained by MacRumors, from Ming-Chi Kuo said that these MacBook models will feature a new design. Kuo did not specify which models these will be, but he has previously claimed that redesigned 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models with Apple Silicon would launch in the late second quarter or third quarter of 2021. It is now predicted that these will come in the second half of 2021.

UPDATE: 14 Inch And 16 Inch MacBook Pro 2021

Well-respected Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo announced on January 14th 2021 that in a note to investors that the 14 and 16-inch 2021 MacBook Pro computers will feature a flat-edged design, which Kuo describes as "similar to the iPhone 12" with no curves like current models. Other features that Ming-Chi Kuo has reported will be in the 2021 MBPs will include…

The ‌MagSafe‌ charging connector design is restored.

The OLED touch bar is removed, and the physical function buttons are restored.

There is no Intel CPU option for the new models.

They are equipped with more types of I/O, and most users may not need to purchase additional dongles

He also says that the new MBP models will use the same heat pipe design used by the current 16-inch MacBook Pro model, which Kuo says is much better than the current 13-inch MacBook Pro and MacBook Air.

Then on January 16th, 2021 Mark Gurman from Bloomberg reported more details on the return of MagSafe charging to the MacBook Pro, suggesting that it will have a similar design to the Apple’s previous MagSafe design and that return to a dedicated ‌MagSafe‌ will enable faster-charging speeds.

As well as the return of the MagSafe connector, Mark reports that the new MacBook Pro laptops will continue to support USB-C, with two USB-C ports located next to the ‌MagSafe‌ port. Mark also included a tidbit about the displays on the upcoming MacBook Pro models, indicating they will use "brighter, higher-contrast panels."

When it comes to design changes Mark differs slightly to what Ming-Chi Kuo has stated saying the although Apple has "tested" versions of the MacBook Pro without the Touch Bar, whereas Ming-Chi seems more definitive that the Touchbar will not be in the final design. Mark also downplays the significance of any changes, indicating that they will "look similar" to the current models but with "minor design changes."

New Apple Silicon Processors

Coming back to the next generation of Apple Silicon chips, according to a report by Bloomberg, Apple chip engineers at Apple HQ are working on several successors to the already released M1 chip.

“If they live up to expectations, they will significantly outpace the performance of the latest machines running Intel chips, according to people familiar with the matter who asked not to be named because the plans aren’t yet public. Intel’s shares slid 2.9% in New York Monday after the news…

…The company’s next series of chips, planned for release as early as the spring and later in the fall, are destined to be placed across upgraded versions of the MacBook Pro, both entry-level and high-end iMac desktops, and later a new Mac Pro workstation, the people said.”

Bloomberg’s sources say that Apple could choose to delay releasing these more powerful chips in favour of chips that are more powerful than the M1 but less powerful than these high-end chips. These may be the rejects from the manufacture of the super-chips, where not all the processors work properly but are still perfectly good to be used for lower spec systems, or specifically designed mid-range chips.

In his report on January 16th, 2021 Mark confirmed that the new 14 and 16-inch MacBook Pro laptops will come with Apple silicon chips offering more processing cores and improved graphics compared to the M1 found in the first batch of Apple silicon Macs.

Mini-LED Screens

Ming-Chi Kuo has reported, based on supply chain evidence, that Apple is moving across to mini-LED display for their Mac models to be released in 2021 including a 14.1-inch MacBook Pro, a 16-inch MacBook Pro, and a 27-inch ‌iMac‌. The analyst says…

“The trend for Apple’s development and promotion of mini LED are more identifiable in five years. We predict that Apple is currently developing six mini-LED-support products (vs. the previous report of only two products), including a 12.9-inch ‌iPad Pro‌, a 27-inch ‌iMac Pro‌ in 4Q20, a 14.1-inch MacBook Pro (upgraded from 13.3-inch), a 16-inch MacBook Pro, a 10.2-inch ‌iPad‌, and a 7.9-inch ‌iPad mini‌ in 2020.”

Mini-LED‌ will enable thinner and lighter products, offering many of the same benefits as OLED like better wide colour gamut, high contrast and dynamic range, and local dimming for truer blacks and superior contrast. However ‌Mini-LED‌ displays are expensive, so it's possible that they will only be available on the higher-end models.

All of this adds credence to new MacBook Pro 14” and 16-inch resigned models with next-generation Apple Silicon System On A Chip Arm-based chips at their core.

What About 2022?

During the keynote address at WWDC 2020, Apple explains that it will take 2 years to move over to Apple Silicon for the full range of Macs, so what does that leave for 2022?

We understand that Apple is testing a chip design with as many as 32 high-performance cores for higher-end desktop computers (compared to the 4 high-performance cores in the M1 SoC), as well as a new half-sized Mac Pro planned to launch by 2022, that Bloomberg reported in November 2020 saying…

“Apple engineers are currently developing a new ‌Mac Pro‌ that looks like the current design at about half the size. It's unclear if that Mac will replace the current ‌Mac Pro‌ or if it's an additional model. Apple's chip designs could help the company reduce the size of its computers due to increased power efficiency, but the current ‌Mac Pro‌ is large, in part, to fit components like additional storage drives and graphics chips.”

In a report in mid-January 2021, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman suggests there will be 2 new Mac Pro models to be released.

The first updated ‌Mac Pro‌ is designed to replace the Mac Pro 2019 ‌Mac Pro‌ using the same design and be equipped with Intel processors rather than Apple silicon chips, with a suggestion it could be the only machine in the Mac lineup to continue to use Intel technology.

The second new Mac Pro will be half the size of the current Mac Pro and will use Apple silicon chips, placing it between the existing ‌Mac Pro‌ and the Mac mini. The new Mac Pro mini will feature a similar aluminium exterior, and Mark suggests that it could "invoke nostalgia" of the old Power Mac G4 Cube.

When it comes to graphics it is understood that Apple is already testing 16-core and 32-core graphics chips, with even more powerful custom graphics in the works…

“For later in 2021 or potentially 2022, Apple is working on pricier graphics upgrades with 64 and 128 dedicated cores aimed at its highest-end machines, the people said. Those graphics chips would be several times faster than the current graphics modules Apple uses from Nvidia and AMD in its Intel-powered hardware.”

With next-gen processors we are getting a glimpse of what might be in an Apple Silicon powered Mac Pro wth 32 high-performance processor cores and 64 or even 128 graphics processor cores as well. Now that would be an Apple computer for the professional, but not before 2022.

New Consumer Apple Display

In Mark Gurman’s report in Bloomberg suggests Apple has started the development of a lower-priced external monitor in addition to the existing Pro Display XDR. The cheaper monitor would be aimed more towards consumer use rather than professionals and wouldn’t have the brightness and contrast ratio of the $5000 Pro Display XDR display.

There is information on the size, resolution, or other specs of consumer display yet, but it is suggested that the new display would have thinner front bezels than the old Apple Thunderbolt Display.