DigiTimes: Arm-based 13-inch MacBook Pro and MacBook Air to ship in late 2020

Apple will launch its first Arm-based MacBook Air 13-inch MacBook Pro in late 2020, according to a new DigiTimes report today.

Taiwan’s supply chain will begin shipping backlit units (BLUs) and other components for next-generation MacBooks in the third quarter of the year, which could be interpreted any time between now and September.

With Apple launching 13-inch MacBook Pro‌ and 13-inch MacBook Air, powered by Apple Silicon, by the end of this year, total shipments of the MacBook line are expected to reach 16-17 million units in 2020 compared to 14.5- 15.5 million units shipped a year earlier, sources estimated.

At the WWDC in June, Apple officially announced that its Mac computers will be upgraded from Intel x86 to homegrown “Apple Silicon” chips. Apple said it plans to deliver the first Mac SilApple Silicon‌‌ by the end of the year and complete the transition in about two years.

DigiTimes“ The latest prediction establishes the launch of SilApple Silicon ‘Macs a little earlier than analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, who has said he expects an Arm-based’ MacBook Air ‘in the fourth quarter or first quarter of next year. Kuo also believes that an Arm-based 13-inch MacBook Pro will arrive later this year.

Apple will reportedly rely heavily on TSMC for Arm-based silicon destined for its Macs. The semiconductor foundry is expected to increase its wafer sales in the second half of 2021, according to another report. DigiTimes report today.

TSMC will manufacture Apple’s custom chips for Mac using 5nm process technology, with production still in small volume during the first half of 2021, the sources said, but production will expand substantially later next year.

ASMedia is said to be another provider of Apple’s Arm-based Macs, and you’ll also see that orders for the devices will begin to contribute substantially to the company’s revenue in the second half of 2021. ASMedia will reportedly provide USB drivers. for the new Macs.

Today’s report also states that parts for a new “more affordable” 10.8-inch iPad with a “high-performance chip” will begin shipping in the second half of this year. This prediction aligns slightly more favorably with Kuo’s latest thoughts on Apple’s ‌iPad‌ roadmap.

Similarly, Kuo believes Apple is working on a new 10.8-inch ‌iPad‌ to be released in the second half of 2020. However, it is unclear whether Apple plans to introduce a larger ‌iPad larger or whether the size increase will be implemented. via a reduction bezel, and other rumors have suggested that this updated ‌iPad‌ might actually be an ‌iPad‌ Air, so we’re looking forward to seeing what Apple has in store for the low-cost ‌iPad‌ in the future.

According to a filter that has provided accurate information on Apple’s plans in the past, Apple’s next-generation low-cost ‌iPad‌ will feature an A12 chip inside, an update to the A10 Fusion chip on the seventh-generation model.