Apple Silicon Roadmap Based on 18-Month Upgrade Cycle, Claims Chinese Report

Apple plans to update its Apple silicon chips every 18 months, compared to the annual upgrade cycle of the iPhone and Apple Watch, according to a new report from the Chinese Commerical Times.

The report, which largely echoes previously reported information, said that industry sources have pointed towards an 18-month upgrade cycle for Apple silicon chips. With that, the report claims that the next generation of Apple silicon, M2, will launch in the second half of 2022 and is codenamed Staten, with “‌M2‌ Pro” and “‌M2‌ Max” chips expected to launch in the first half of 2023. A machine translation of the report reads:

According to sources in the supply chain industry, Apple Silicon will be updated every 18 months in the future. In the second half of 2022, Apple will first launch the M2 processor code-named Staten, and in the first half of 2023, it will launch the new M2X processor architecture code-named Rhodes, and release two processors such as M2 Pro and M2 Max according to the different graphics cores. Apple’s M2 series processors all use the 4-nanometer process, and will be updated to the M3 series processors after an 18-month cycle. It is expected that they will be mass-produced using TSMC’s 3-nanometer process.

Before Apple transitioned to Apple silicon, the company had to rely on Intel to innovate and produce new chips. Intel’s timeline and ability to create new processors were factors in the timeline for new Mac computers. Now, however, with Apple owning the entire vertical stack of the Mac, it’s able to update and upgrade its computers and chips as often as it deems necessary. Even with that added freedom, customers typically don’t upgrade their Macs as often as their ‌iPhone‌ or Apple Watch, so a less often upgrade cycle is logical.

Apple announced M1, the first Apple silicon chip, in November of 2020, and expanded the ‌M1‌ family with the M1 Pro and M1 Max less than a year later in October of this year. A similar scenario is expected for 2022, with ‌M2‌ launching first, and ‌M2‌ Pro and ‌M2‌ Max launching in the first half of 2023, according to today’s report.

With the end of the year creeping upon us, we won’t have to wait long for Apple’s next generation of Macs. Rumors have suggested that a new 27-inch iMac with mini-LED, a new design, and ProMotion support will launch in the spring of 2022, with a new redesigned MacBook Air expected in the second half of the year.