There's one big reason that creative professionals – particularly designers, animators and video editors – are attracted to MacBook Pros: their blisteringly fast performance. Now that Apple's in the business of making its own chips, their ability to run resource-intensive software like Photoshop, After Effects and Premiere Pro is far superior to cheaper laptops. And in a profession where time is money, that means they're well worth the extra investment.
With that in mind, though, if you're looking to buy a new MacBook Pro in the near future, you may want to wait a couple of months. And yes, we know that there was a new MacBook Pro fairly recently - read our MacBook Pro 13-inch (M2) review to find out what we thought of it.
Why do we think you should wait? Well, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, who's normally a reliable source on Apple's plans, has revealed in his newsletter that new versions of the 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro could arrive as soon as the autumn.
So what will be new here? Well firstly, the new MacBook Pros aren't expected to change much in terms of their design, which only recently had a refresh. The main difference, though, is a big one: they'll incorporate the new M2 Pro and M2 Max processors, which Apple are aiming to release in Q3 2022.
We don't know much about these chips' capabilities yet, but it's a fairly sure thing they'll boost speed and performance significantly. More specifically, Gurman says: "Look for much of the focus to be on the graphics side, just like with the standard M2." That of course will be music to the ears of creative professionals, not to mention keen gamers.
Gurman also suggests the new chips will boost power efficiency and battery life, which seems like a reasonable assumption.
Should you wait?
The new MacBook Pros are an exciting prospect, but as always with Apple leaks, we should sound a note of caution.
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According to Gurman, it's unclear when the new laptops will actually land: they're scheduled to arrive any time between autumn and spring 2023. And in a world still struggling with supply chain issues, there's no guarantee even that will happen. So if you're in desperate need of a MacBook now, it's probably not worth waiting around too long.
The MacBook Pro 14-inch (2021) may drop in price when the new version is released (Image credit: Future)
After, Apple's existing line-up is still pretty darned impressive, with the MacBook Pro 16-inch (2021) topping our list of the best laptops for graphic design.
Tom May is an award-winning journalist and editor specialising in design, photography and technology. Author of the Amazon #1 bestseller Great TED Talks: Creativity, published by Pavilion Books, Tom was previously editor of Professional Photography magazine, associate editor at Creative Bloq, and deputy editor at net magazine. Today, he is a regular contributor to Creative Bloq and its sister sites Digital Camera World, T3.com and Tech Radar. He also writes for Creative Boom and works on content marketing projects.
