Rumor has it that Apple is planning a MacBook Pro 2022, and so far all indications are that it will be a new entry-level MacBook Pro packed with Apple's next big thing in silicon. [Because last year, Apple shook up the laptop market with the release of its current entry-level MacBook Pro M1. Its 13-inch Pro offers unprecedented gains in performance and efficiency over its predecessor, thanks in part to the power of the M1 chip.

So good was the performance that the 13-inch Pro shot to the top of our "best laptops you can buy" rankings. Apple has since released a redesigned 14-inch MacBook Pro and 16-inch MacBook Pro with a choice of M1 Pro or M1 Max chips, with these systems starting at $1,999 and $2,499, respectively.

However, now Apple has announced a new Pro, scheduled to debut in 2022, which may replace the $1,299 13-inch M1 Pro as the entry-level model, incorporating the same sleek design changes seen in the 2021 Pro and featuring Apple's M1 If it improves on the previous model, as all MacBooks have, the rumored MacBook Pro 2022 could be one of Apple's biggest releases of the year.

Apple has not announced plans to release a new MacBook Pro in 2022, and until it does, it is not clear when such a product will be available.

But that doesn't stop us from putting on our thinking caps and making a few predictions; Mark Gurman, an Apple informant and Bloomberg reporter, has claimed that Apple is planning a number of 2022 product releases, including a cheaper MacBook Pro with M2 power Apple's product release cycle is sufficiently predictable that one can make a reasonable guess as to when the next MacBook Pro release date will be.

This would be roughly one year after the big debut of Apple's new 2021 MacBook Pro and two years after the release of the original 13-inch MacBook Pro with M1 and MacBook Air with M1. And since Apple is also said to be releasing a new MacBook Air 2022 next year, it makes sense to bring them together again at the end of the year.

Until Apple makes an official announcement, we will not know what the expected MacBook Pro 2022 price will be.

However, based on what we have heard so far, it seems likely that the starting price of said MacBook Pro will be below $2,000, around $1,299 to $1,499. This speculation is based on the fact that the MacBook Pro 2022 is rumored to be the new entry-level model, and since the current entry-level model is the 13-inch MacBook Pro with M1 (starting price $1,299), its successor will probably be close to the same pricing structure Based on.

Nevertheless, there is good reason to believe that Apple might increase the starting price of the new MacBook Pro 2022 a bit higher. For example, the 16-inch MacBook Pro 2021 is about $100 more expensive than its predecessor, and the smaller 14-inch Pro received a similar price increase. So if Apple attempts to do the same with next year's new Pro, the starting price of the new MacBook Pro 2022 is expected to jump to $1,499.

Few details have yet been revealed about the design changes expected for the new MacBook Pro 2022. The internal design of these machines has been the most popular topic so far, as the upcoming Pro is rumored to feature Apple's all-new piece of silicon, the Apple M2 chip.

Appearance-wise, it is reasonable to expect that Apple will incorporate the design improvements of the 2021 MacBook Pro into the new 2022 model; if Apple is looking to cut costs on this entry-level Pro, the 2021 Pro's well-received mini LED display may be abandoned in favor of a less expensive IPS LCD Retina display, such as that found on the MacBook Air.

It is also expected to add HDMI output and an SD card reader in addition to the usual Thunderbolt 4 ports. Personally, I expect the new Pro 2022 to have the same MagSafe 3 charging port that Apple introduced on the 2021 Pro.

Also, don't be surprised if the MacBook Pro 2022 is designed with a notch in the top bezel. The notch surrounds the webcam built into the 2021 Pros, and while it causes problems, the notch is not a problem. Really, it just takes some getting used to.

The most exciting information so far about the specs of the new 2022 MacBook Pro is Mark Gurman's report that it will feature the Apple M2 chip. the M2 will have the same 8-core CPU as the original M1 chip (although it will have a higher clock M2 will have the same 8-core CPU as the original M1 chip (although it will run at a higher clock speed) and a 10-core GPU in place of the M1's 8-core GPU.

If that comes to pass, we could be looking at a situation where Apple announces a new MacBook Pro and a new MacBook Air with M2 chips in 2022, as it did in November 2020. However, it will be some time before we see how the chips in the updated entry-level Pro stack up against the M1 Pro and M1 Max, which Apple powered up the M1 chip in the 2021 Pro.

We still know very little about Apple's plans to release a new MacBook Pro in 2022, but what we have heard so far is reason enough to be optimistic about the odds of seeing one. Apple has gone from strength to strength in computing since releasing the first M1-powered MacBook in late 2020, and late 2022 seems like the perfect time to announce a refreshed, entry-level MacBook Pro with an improved M2 chip

Further interesting.

Even more interesting is to compare the performance of the new 2022 MacBook Pro with the 2021 Pro with the M1 Pro and M1 Max chips. What will be the performance of the rumored M2 chip?

The upgraded M1 Max chip in our 16-inch MacBook Pro 2021 review unit performed like a beast, especially for video work. However, our review unit was priced at over $4,000, whereas the MacBook Pro 2022 is expected to start at under $1,500. How will both be positioned?

We will have to wait and see if we can get one for testing when the next MacBook Pro is finally released.