Information embedded within Apple's website suggests that this week's new Mac announcements, including the M2 Pro and M2 Max chips, were initially set to be unveiled in October or November of last year.
As reported by Daring Fireball's John Gruber, the file name for a short mini keynote-styled video that Apple released following the announcement of the updated 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro and Mac mini includes the year 2022, suggesting the video may have been initially set to premiere last year. The video, over 18 minutes long, looks like the digital Apple events the company has been holding for the previous few years.
Huh interesting… 2022 is indeed in the url and the video filename… 🤔 https://t.co/7OLnDWlyjL pic.twitter.com/Q6HZ3JX023 — Parker Ortolani (@ParkerOrtolani) January 17, 2023
Some have speculated the 18-minute video was a segment cut out from a larger event the company was planning to hold in October or November 2022 that included more than the announcements of new M2 Pro and M2 Max Macs. Also spotted on Twitter, the AR files for the new 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models were compiled in October 2022, three months before the new Macs were announced.
Typically, every fall, Apple holds an event in September to announce its latest iPhones and Apple Watch models. In the run-up to the fall of 2022, rumors were increasingly suggesting that Apple was planning to hold two events between September and December: one for the iPhone and Apple Watch and another for the Mac and iPad.
The latter event was to be focused entirely on updated Apple silicon Macs and iPads, including updated 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pros and the next-generation iPad Pro, according to rumors circulating at the time. In September, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reported that Apple had canceled plans to hold a second digital event in the fall and would instead release the remaining products for 2022 through press releases on its website.
In October, Apple announced an updated iPad Pro with M2 and the redesigned 10th-generation entry-level iPad via press releases. In mid-Decemeber, Gurman reported that the new Macs were now slated for a launch in "early" 2023.
The new 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pros have options for either the M2 Pro or M2 Max chip, building on the performance of the M1 Pro and M1 Max. The new chips allow for even faster performance and a higher 96GB capacity of unified memory with the M2 Max. The new Macs also now support 8K external displays thanks to a more advanced HDMI port, and the 16-inch model has the longest battery life of any Mac.
Apple this week also announced a new Mac mini, featuring the same design as the previous-generation model but now with M2 or M2 Pro. The new Mac mini and MacBook Pros are available for pre-order on Apple's website and will begin arriving to customers on Tuesday, January 24.