The first M2-powered Mac is now available to order. After being announced at WWDC earlier this month, the M2 MacBook Pro is now listed on Apple’s website for purchase, with the first orders arriving one week from today on June 24.
The new M2 MacBook Air was also announced at WWDC, but it won’t be available for purchase until sometime in July…
M2 MacBook Pro orders:
According to Apple, this entry-level MacBook Pro is the world’s second most popular laptop, trailing the MacBook Air. This helps explain why Apple has insisted on keeping this 13-inch MacBook Pro in its lineup, even as the 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models move to a new industrial design generation.
The new M2 MacBook Pro is virtually identical to the previous-generation M1 MacBook Pro. It features the MacBook Pro design that originated back in 2016, with a Touch Bar and a 13-inch display. You miss out on some features offered on Apple’s other MacBooks nowadays, including MagSafe for charging and improved display technologies.
Pricing for the M2 MacBook Pro starts at $1299 for the entry-level configuration, which gets you the M2 chip with 8GB of unified memory and 256GB of storage. You can spec the machine up to a maximum of 24GB of unified memory and 2TB of storage.
As for the new M2 chip itself, Apple provided some claims for performance at WWDC, saying the M2 offers some notable gains over the previous-generation M1 chip: an 18% faster CPU, a 35% more powerful GPU, and a 40% faster Neural Engine.
The new M2 MacBook Pro is available in two “colors” including space gray and silver. No iMac-style or even MacBook Air-style fun color options here.
Don’t forget about the MacBook Air…
If you’re in the market for an M2 Mac, don’t forget that the M2 MacBook Air is slated to be released sometime in July. The new MacBook Air shares the same M2 chip as the MacBook Pro, but it comes with an all-new design with an incredibly thin and light form factor.
The M2 MacBook Air starts at $100 less than the MacBook Pro at $1199 for shoppers and $1099 for education customers.
For more details on the differences between the M2 MacBook Air and M2 MacBook Pro, check out our full in-depth comparison.
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