New MacBook Pro models with M2 Pro and Max chips are delayed again

Fans of the MacBook have been eagerly awaiting the latest update for a while now. The 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models represent the pinnacle of the range, sitting above the more budget conscious MacBook Air.

Currently, these models run on the M1 Pro and M1 Max chips. Launched in October 2021, these upgraded variants of the M1 chip provided more power, allowing users to undertake more power-hungry tasks without fear of throttling.

Since then, the M2 chip has been released, featuring on the 13-inch MacBook Pro and an updated Air model. Many believed that the larger 14-inch and 16-inch Pro models would follow suit with M2 Pro and M2 Max chips. Initially, they were slated to be unveiled alongside the M2 iPad Pro in October. Then, it was suggested that they were set for an early 2023 release.

But that looks unlikely again now. As reported by MacRumors, a publication in Taiwan has shared details of the reported delay. It doesn't offer any indication of the scale of the setback, but Mark Gurman suggested earlier this week that the models were on track for release in the first half of 2023. 

Based on the content of these reports, it seems most likely that the new models will be unveiled at the WWDC event in June. So far, no-one has given any explanation for the delay, though many suggest it could be a by-product of Apple changing some of its suppliers.

There are also conflicting reports about the make-up of the chips themselves. Apple's chip-manufacturing partner, TSMC, reportedly began production of a 3nm chip in December. Some have suggested that this is the production of the M2 Pro and Max chips, and the smaller component size is the reason for the delay. Others have suggested that these chips will use the same 5nm process that the base model M2 uses.

Regardless of which fabrication process is used, these chips – and the laptops they power – should be lightning fast and capable of just about anything you can throw at them.