Apple Said To Be Testing 9 New Macs With M2 Chips

Apple Inc AAPL is testing its next generation of silicon chips against third-party applications, according to Bloomberg tech journalist Mark Gurman.

What Happened: Gurman said in a weekly newsletter that Apple has both a series of new M2 chips and Macs in development.

The Tim Cook-led company is testing the chips against third-party applications to ensure compatibility, according to Gurman.

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Why It Matters: In a report on Friday, Gurman called the M2 Apple’s latest attempt to “push the boundaries of computer processing” after it moved its line of computers away from Intel Corp INTC made processors.

Gurman said Apple is testing nine new Macs with four different M2-based chips with apps from its App Store. The journalist cited logs corroborated by people familiar with the matter.

The machines under testing include a MacBook Air with an eight-core M2 chip codenamed J413 and a Mac Pro codenamed J180. This machine will include the successor to the M1 Ultra Chip, according to Gurman.

The move by the Cupertino, California-based tech giant is a “key step” in the development process and implies that new machines could be near release in the coming months, according to Gurman.

Apple still uses the M1 chip in its MacBook Air, Mac mini, and the entry-level MacBook Pro computers. 

Price Action: On Thursday, Apple shares closed 3% lower at $165.29 in the regular session and fell 0.2% in the after-hours trading, according to Benzinga Pro data.

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