Apple's next MacBook Pros will REALLY crush Intel laptops

Apple is working on a massive 32 core CPU that could be included in devices as soon as next year

Apple MacBook Air M1
(Image credit: Apple)

Apple has just released the first devices to feature the M1 CPU chip, which the company developed itself. The new MacBook Air and MacBook Pro both feature the M1 chip and have proven to be incredibly powerful compared to other devices with older chips. 

But already the company is looking to improve on the M1 chip, with a new report suggesting that Apple is working on a new CPU that features 32 cores. 

The report from Bloomberg reveals that Apple is working on an ARM-based CPU that might feature up to 32 high-performance cores. Engineers at Apple are currently working on multiple successors to the M1 chip, all of which are set to outperform the impressive first attempt. 

The new processors could be seen in devices as soon as 2021, with the improved chips likely to be included in the higher end of the Mac line including the MacBook Pro, iMacs, and a new Mac Pro. The 32 core chip is expected to be seen in the latter of the three, with the size of the machine also expected to be significantly reduced. 

It’s hardly surprising that Apple is working on more CPU chips given how well the new M1 devices have been received, but the power that a 32 core chip could provide goes well above what many thought would be created anytime soon. Even the most powerful Apple devices that still feature Intel chips only have 28 cores. 

The report does mention that there is a chance that the higher-end chips Apple is working on might not be seen on the next product refresh, but instead in 2022, but currently, all signs point to some next-generation CPUs appearing in the 2021 refreshes for Apple devices. 

With the new direction Apple is going in for the Mac product line, focusing on components developed in-house rather than by third parties like Intel, AMD, and Nvidia, engineers are also working on new graphics processors for upcoming devices. Currently, the M1 devices feature seven or eight-core graphics, but the new chips could go as high as 16 or 32 core in high-end laptops and desktops. 

Those looking for a high-end Mac will no doubt be thrilled by the news of Apple’s own CPU tech coming to the top machines in the coming months, but if you are looking at a more mid-range option, then right now the MacBooks that feature the new M1 chips really are incredible devices and some of the best that Apple has put out in years. 

Source: Bloomberg