Is Apple Releasing 3 New Mac Devices This Year?

Apple is expected to announce new devices during a reported November event, with previous reports indicating that a new Mac could be one of them. But a new leak claims that more than one Mac device may be unveiled before the year ends.

The Cupertino-based tech giant announced earlier that it will be releasing the first Mac powered by Apple silicon before the year ends. This highly-anticipated Mac could be one of the devices that might be announced during this rumored November event.

Placeholders found in the macOS Big Sur 11.0.1 beta, however, indicate that Apple might be planning to unveil more than one Mac in the upcoming event. The placeholders, spotted by an iOS developer named Hans Harck Tønning (@HarckerTech), reveal that the company has three upcoming Mac models.

“MacOS Big Sur 11.0.1 mentions 3 distinct unreleased Macs, all set for release in 2020,” the developer tweeted.

Fans should take note that according to the developer, only “one of these” Macs were present in an earlier beta version, macOS 11.0.1 beta 10.

What will these models be?

The placeholders do not indicate what kind of Mac device will arrive later this year. Tønning, however, made a few guesses regarding what these devices could be, speculating that Apple may release a 13-inch MacBook Air or MacBook Pro, a “revival” of the 12-inch MacBook and a desktop Mac such as a Mac Mini or a new iMac.

A recent report from Digitimes indicated that TSMC will be producing 5nm chips for Apple in the fourth quarter of this year. These chips will be used for the company's new-generation MacBook and iPad Pro devices.

Earlier reports from the China Times hinted that one of the devices that will make use of the new A14X chip, made using TSMC's 5nm process, is the revival of the 12-inch Retina MacBook. The new device will also support USB-C, have longer battery life compared to other MacBooks and might even be lighter than the current MacBook Air, which weighs 1.29 kilograms.

A more recent report from the China Times also indicated that TSMC is also working on the A14T chip, as well as Apple's own GPU. These components will be used on upcoming iMac models.