Apple launched MacBook Pro and Mac Mini with new M2 Pro and M2 Max chips

Apple today announced new versions of its MacBook Pro and Mac mini, along with two new high-powered versions of its M2 chip: the M2 Pro and M2 Max. These new releases are part of Apple’s ongoing effort to produce its own silicon and compete with larger rivals such as Intel and AMD in the chip space.

The new MacBook Pro, which comes equipped with either the M2 Pro or M2 Max, is considered the beefier of the two new systems. Apple claims that the M2 Max is the most powerful and efficient chip for a professional laptop, featuring a 12-core CPU and 38-core GPU.

However, during CES, Intel debuted its Core i9-13980HX chip, which the company claims is the world’s fastest mobile processor based on its clock speeds. Apple doesn’t list the actual clock speed for its chip, but claims that the M2 Max has twice the memory bandwidth of the M2 Pro and 4x that of the M2. Additionally, it offers up to 96GB of unified memory for running multiple tasks simultaneously without slowdown.

The M2 Pro, on the other hand, has either 10 or 12 cores, a 19-core GPU, and up to 32GB of unified memory. According to Apple, this makes a MacBook Pro with an M2 Pro 40% faster than a MacBook with an M1 Pro and 80% faster than a MacBook with Intel’s older Core i9 chip.

The latest announcements, which came without the usual fanfare of a major Apple launch event, are the latest examples of Apple’s push to produce its own silicon and prove that it has the ability to outpace larger rivals like Intel and AMD in the chip space.

These new systems come with improved performance and longer battery life than previous versions.

The new MacBook Pro comes in 14-inch and 16-inch varieties, with a starting price of $1,499 for the 14-inch model. The 16-inch starts at $2,499 and tops out at $6,499 when outfitted with 96GB of RAM and an 8TB storage drive. According to Apple, the M2 Max-powered Pro offers 30% better graphics performance over an M1 Max-equipped MacBook Pro, while CPU performance is as much as