Apple may not release an ARM-based MacBook Pro laptop this year.

Apple Silicon is an effort by Cupertino to move Mac machines away from dependence on Intel chips and onto in-house chips based on the ARM RISC architecture. Apple already produces its own ARM-based A-series chips for the iPad and iPhone, for example, the iPhone 11 Pro uses the A13 Bionic chip.

However, ARM's RISC architecture is very different from the x86 architecture used by Intel chips. This means that running macOS and its applications on a RISC architecture requires some effort, both in hardware and software. This is something Microsoft learned with the Surface Pro X, which uses an ARM-based Snapdragon chip.

Apple is currently shipping Mac mini machines using the A12Z chip in the iPad Pro 2020 to help developers find ways to port their apps from x86 to RISC architecture. However, as with the development of laptop and desktop grade A series chips, this could take some time.

So while Apple is expected to announce the iPhone 12 series and perhaps the Apple Watch 6 in September, it is unlikely to announce the Apple Silicon MacBook Pro. Also, earlier information suggesting that an ARM-based MacBook will be announced in October may be incorrect.

Nevertheless, Apple has often quietly revealed hardware refreshes in "soft" announcements, as it did with the iMac 27-inch 2020. Previous rumors suggest that Apple will use the current MacBook Pro design but replace the Intel processor with an in-house chip, so we may be getting the first Apple silicon MacBook in the form of simply refreshed specifications, rather than an entirely new product .

This is a good thing, because there are often a variety of, conflicting rumors swirling around Apple products, especially those that promise to offer something different to the tech world than just an iPhone or smartwatch.