Apple made headlines in November 2020 when it announced its first Apple silicon chip, the M1. A year later, the long-rumored M2 chip is nowhere to be found. Thankfully, we now know when the M2 chip will be available, and it may be announced at the same time as the MacBook Air 2022.

According to a new report from Taiwan's Commercial Times, Apple now plans to upgrade its silicon chips every 18 months. According to the report, the M2 chip, codenamed "Staten," will be available in late 2022. Meanwhile, the M2 Pro and M2 Max are expected to be available in the first half of 2023.

According to previous reports, the M2 chip is expected to have the same 8-core CPU as the M1, but with an additional GPU core, with 9- and 10-core GPU options; the M1 had 7- and 8-core GPU options. It will also likely have improved speed and efficiency.

While it may appear that the M1 already has successor chips in the M1 Pro and M1 Max versions, we have already noted that the original Apple Silicon chips are not obsolete; the increased processing power and graphics power of the Pro and Max chips are If you don't need it, and you need a simple laptop, the M1 is more than sufficient.

However, we expect the M2 chip will take its place. Therefore, cheaper and simpler everyday functions will be handled by the M2, making it the perfect chip for something like the next MacBook Air. We have heard rumors that a refreshed version without the notch will be available, but other than that we don't know much.

It makes sense for Apple to announce both products at the same time. On the other hand, users with more intensive needs will want to wait for the M2 Pro and M2 Max chips to appear.

However, while there appears to be a roughly two-year gap between the M1 and M2 chips, Commercial Times sources say that Apple will opt for an 18-month upgrade cycle going forward. This may be the reason why.

Sources also claim that the M2 chips will use a 4-nanometer process, downsized from the M1's 5-nanometer process, and that the M3 chips will also arrive about 18 months later. If these reports are accurate, they will be available in early 2024.

What these upgraded chips will look like is not known at this early stage. However, we have heard rumors that Apple will announce an all-new iMac with a 27" 120Hz ProMotion miniLED display in early 2022.

We will keep you posted on the future of Apple Silicon as information becomes available.