What to expect at WWDC 2022: iOS 16, M2, and more

MacBook Air and other M2 Macs

If there's one bit of hardware we'd bet on for WWDC 2022, it's the successor to the M1 system-on-a-chip, likely to be called the M2.

The M2 will almost certainly be more powerful and efficient than the M1, but it won't surpass the M1 Pro, M1 Max, or M1 Ultra. That's because it's intended to replace the lower-end M1 in Apple's (comparatively) lower-performance laptops, while we can expect the M2 Pro, M2 Max, and M2 Ultra further down the line.

Seemingly reliable leaks suggest the M2 will have eight CPU cores just like its predecessor, but it will bump the number of GPU cores from eight to 10. Expect the same iterative improvement of speed and efficiency that we see in the annual iPhone updates—maybe a 10 to 20 percent improvement.

When Apple debuted the M1, it arrived first on the MacBook Air, 13-inch MacBook Pro, and low-end Mac mini. We could see any of those being updated with the M2 at WWDC. We could also see Apple either discontinuing the higher-end Intel Mac mini that's still in the lineup (since you could argue it has been replaced by the Mac Studio) or moving that one to an M1 Pro or M1 Ultra.

But the most interesting Mac update is probably going to be the new MacBook Air. Based on leaks shared by usually reliable sources like Gurman, Jon Prosser, and others, the MacBook Air will also get a total redesign in addition to new internal guts.

It's said to have a more angular design and come in various colors like the 24-inch iMac, and it will probably get the MagSafe power connection seen in recent MacBook Pro models. Expect the port selection to remain relatively limited, though.

Mac Pro

With all the Mac laptops already on M1 chip variants, and with the Mac Studio replacing the high-end iMac, the new M1 iMac replacing the lower-end models, and the Mac mini at least partially on M1, there's only one Mac left that hasn't made the leap away from Intel: the highly specialized Mac Pro.

The Mac Pro, as it exists today, is far from a mainstream consumer product, but that's part of why it could be a good fit for WWDC. Plus, Apple announced the M1 at WWDC 2020 with a promise that the entire Mac lineup would move to M1 within two years.

That means next week is the two-year deadline. We already noted above that we could see the other lone straggler—the most expensive Intel Mac mini configuration—move to M2 or be discontinued at this event. So unless the Mac Studio was meant to fully replace the Mac Pro tower (which we doubt—it was seemingly a replacement for the 27-inch iMac and iMac Pro instead) to round out the transition, a new Mac Pro seems likely at WWDC 2022.

We're not exactly sure what to expect from it, though. Some rumors about its CPU and GPU that were floating around last year turned out to fit the Mac Studio, and that was most of what we had to go on. So we're left with speculation: The Mac Pro could have similar base specifications to the most expensive, M1 Ultra-equipped Mac Studio but with the modular expansion kits that make the current Mac Pro tower appealing to professionals who work in video editing bays and the like.

It's also possible that the Mac Pro will have a new variant of the M1, either a more powerful M1 Ultra or one last, distinctly branded sibling to it. We don't expect the Mac Pro to have an M2 variant, though; it's more likely that the M2 will start in lower-end machines just like the M1 did, then make its way to more powerful devices over the next year or two.