Kuo: Apple Silicon Macs to Include 13-inch MacBook Pro and MacBook Air This Year, 14.1-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro Models Next Year

At last month's WWDC, Apple officially announced that its Mac computers will be transitioned from Intel x86 to homegrown Apple Silicon chips. Apple said it plans to deliver the first ‌Apple Silicon‌ Mac by the end of the year and complete the transition in about two years.

14 16 inch MBP Comparison
According to Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, a 13.3-inch MacBook Pro with a form factor similar to the current 13.3-inch ‌MacBook Pro‌ could be the first Mac to get an Arm-based chip designed by Apple. In March, Kuo predicted this new ‌MacBook Pro‌ will launch late in 2020 or early in 2021.

In a research note with TF International Securities today, seen by MacRumors, Kuo said he expects the ‌Apple Silicon‌ 13.3-inch ‌MacBook Pro‌ to go into mass production in the fourth quarter of this year, but he also now predicts we will see an Arm-based MacBook Air either in the same quarter or in the first quarter of next year.

Kuo still believes that Apple intends to launch a mini-LED 16-inch ‌‌MacBook Pro‌‌ and a 14.1-inch ‌MacBook Pro‌, also with a mini-LED display, but these will likely arrive in the second or third quarter of 2021, and intriguingly, both will have an "all-new form factor design." Previous rumors suggested an updated 16-inch ‌MacBook Pro‌ could arrive this year in October or November.

We predict that Apple will launch new MacBook models including the new 13.3-inch MacBook Pro equipped with the Apple Silicon in 4Q20, the new MacBook Air equipped with the Apple Silicon in 4Q20 or 1Q21, and new 14- and 16-inch MacBook Pro models equipped with the Apple Silicon and all-new form factor design in late 2Q21 or 3Q21.

Kuo made no mention in today's report of the ‌Apple Silicon‌ iMac he previously predicted. Apple is still expected to launch a redesigned ‌iMac‌ this year, although it's not expected to be an ‌Apple Silicon‌ machine.

In the same report, Kuo predicts that MacBook shipments in 2020 are expected to increase to 16–17 million units. Kuo also said that under optimistic circumstances, if Apple lowered the price of the new ‌MacBook Air‌ to reflect a cost reduction, and if demand was high for the new 14-inch and 16-inch ‌MacBook Pro‌ models, shipment volume could increase significantly next year to 18-20 million units.

Related Roundups: MacBook Pro, MacBook Air
Related Forums: MacBook Pro, MacBook Air

Popular Stories

iOS 26

iOS 26.4 and iOS 27 Features Revealed in New Leak

Friday December 12, 2025 10:56 am PST by
Macworld's Filipe Espósito today revealed a handful of features that Apple is allegedly planning for iOS 26.4, iOS 27, and even iOS 28. The report said the features are referenced within the code for a leaked internal build of iOS 26 that is not meant to be seen by the public. However, it appears that Espósito and/or his sources managed to gain access to it, providing us with a sneak peek...
apple beta 26 lineup

Apple Leak Confirms Work on Foldable iPhone, AirTag 2, and Dozens More Devices

Monday December 15, 2025 2:05 pm PST by
Last week, details about unreleased Apple devices and future iOS features were shared by Macworld. This week, we learned where the information came from, plus we have more findings from the leak. As it turns out, an Apple prototype device running an early build of iOS 26 was sold, and the person who bought it shared the software. The OS has a version number of 23A5234w, and the first...
Apple Logo Top Half

Early iOS 26 Software Leak Uncovers Dozens of Upcoming Apple Features

Monday December 15, 2025 3:05 pm PST by
Software from an iPhone prototype running an early build of iOS 26 leaked last week, giving us a glimpse at future Apple devices and iOS features. We recapped device codenames in our prior article, and now we have a list of some of the most notable feature flags that were found in the software code. In some cases, it's obvious what the feature flags are referring to, while some are more...
Apple Foldable Thumb

Leak Reveals Foldable iPhone Details

Monday December 15, 2025 9:09 am PST by
The first foldable iPhone will feature a series of design and hardware firsts for Apple, according to details shared by the Weibo leaker known as Digital Chat Station. According to a new post, via machine translation, Apple is developing what the leaker describes as a "wide foldable" device, a term used to refer to a horizontally oriented, book-style foldable with a large internal display....
iOS 26

Apple Releases iOS 26.2 With Alarms for Reminders, Lock Screen Changes, Enhanced Safety Alerts and More

Friday December 12, 2025 10:10 am PST by
Apple today released iOS 26.2, the second major update to the iOS 26 operating system that came out in September, iOS 26.2 comes a little over a month after iOS 26.1 launched. ‌iOS 26‌.2 is compatible with the ‌iPhone‌ 11 series and later, as well as the second-generation ‌iPhone‌ SE. The new software can be downloaded on eligible iPhones over-the-air by going to Settings >...
iOS 26

iOS 26.3 Beta 1 Features: What's New So Far

Monday December 15, 2025 4:23 pm PST by
Apple is testing iOS 26.3, the next version of iOS 26 that will launch around January. Since iOS 26.3's testing is happening over the holidays, it is a smaller update with fewer features than we've seen in prior betas. We've rounded up what's new so far, and we'll add to our list with subsequent betas if we come across any other features. Transfer to Android Apple is making it simpler...
iOS 26

iOS 26.2 Coming Soon With These 8 New Features on Your iPhone

Thursday December 11, 2025 8:49 am PST by
Apple seeded the second iOS 26.2 Release Candidate to developers earlier this week, meaning the update will be released to the general public very soon. Apple confirmed iOS 26.2 would be released in December, but it did not provide a specific date. We expect the update to be released by early next week. iOS 26.2 includes a handful of new features and changes on the iPhone, such as a new...
airpods max 2024 colors

AirPods Max 2 Likely to Offer These 10 New Features

Monday December 15, 2025 7:41 am PST by
Apple released the AirPods Max on December 15, 2020, meaning the over-ear headphones launched five years ago today. While the AirPods Max were updated with a USB-C port and new color options last year, followed by support for lossless audio and ultra-low latency audio this year, the headphones lack some of the features that have been introduced for newer generations of the regular AirPods and the ...

Top Rated Comments

ijbond Avatar
71 months ago
I was hoping for a 14" Intel MacBook Pro.
Score: 21 Votes (Like | Disagree)
wyarp Avatar
71 months ago

As an owner of MBP 16”, the bezel on the iMac looks like a 20 year old tech. They have got to update that ASAP
Every single iMac I have ever worked on has always and CONTINUES to look, MILES better than any PC equivalent. I really could not care less about bezels or not, as a piece of product design, something sat on a desk, it is STILL iconic and streets ahead of the competition. Fact.


Exaggerate much? Here's a 2000 iMac:

https://apple-history.com/dvse2000
An let's not forget the PC equivalent!



Attachment Image
Score: 18 Votes (Like | Disagree)
gnasher729 Avatar
71 months ago

As an owner of MBP 16”, the bezel on the iMac looks like a 20 year old tech. They have got to update that ASAP
Exaggerate much? Here's a 2000 iMac:

https://apple-history.com/dvse2000
Score: 18 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Ma2k5 Avatar
71 months ago

None of this points to a ‘fast transition’, boldly luring power and professional users.

This will be a slow burn. This is quite different to the PowerPC to Intel move which opened up the Mac to a whole new audience.

Apple will need to prove their new machines are worthy upgrading to and not just on power: they will need to be aesthetically desirable.
Considering even the most premium windows laptops are plagued with issues due to the current Intel chips which have stifled innovation in terms of performance and form factor - I think it will be an easy task.

Battery size, throttling, thermals and noise are all not ideal due to the perf per watt of these Intel machines.

Truthfully I can’t wait to have a laptop which doesn’t need to go 80-100c to do basic tasks.
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)
makarama Avatar
71 months ago
I was planning to avoid the first gen arm MacBook, but now I have one additional reason to do so. And that is a second gen armed MacBook Pro 14 inch. Really, I don't recommend anyone buying the arm MacBook 13 inch at the end of this year given the fact that the new 14 inch model will have better thermals, mini LED screen, one year more of arm development etc etc.
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
sotov Avatar
71 months ago
I don't believe Apple's first ARM laptop will not have an updated design. This transition is too important. A 13" or 14" update along the lines of the 16" seems to suggest itself.

What I really want though is a 12" powerhouse with excellent battery life.
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)