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- Apple has ordered 2.5 million units of its first Apple silicon-based laptops for early 2021, according to Nikkei Asian Review.
- That’s said to represent roughly 20% of Apple’s Mac shipments for the entire year of 2019, says the report.
- Even though the company hasn’t unveiled its first Apple silicon laptops yet, Apple is reportedly preparing to launch another computer running on its own chip in Q2 2021.
- Apple is holding an event on November 10 where it’s expected to reveal the first Apple silicon MacBook.
- Visit Business Insider’s homepage for more stories.
Apple has yet to introduce the first Mac laptop that will run on the new homemade chip it announced back in June, but an early report suggests the company is expecting demand to be strong.
Apple has ordered 2.5 million units of its first MacBooks running on Apple silicon for early 2021, according to Nikkei Asian Review. That’s equivalent to almost 20% of Apple’s total MacBook shipments for the year 2019, says the report.
Apple did not immediately respond to Business Insider’s request for comment.
Apple doesn’t report unit sales for specific product segments like Mac computers or the iPhone. But its Mac business generated $28.6 billion in revenue during the company’s fiscal year that ended on September 26.
Apple is widely expected to unveil the first MacBook laptop running on Apple silicon during an event on November 10. Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman and Debby Wu have reported that the company is indeed expected to unveil Apple silicon devices next week.
The company is also gearing up to introduce another new Apple silicon computer in the second quarter of 2021, according to Nikkei Asian Review. That would seemingly line up with the details reported by Bloomberg, which indicate that Apple may unveil 13-inch Apple silicon-powered MacBook Pro and MacBook Air laptops next week and later debut a 16-inch MacBook Pro running on the new chip.
Apple is ramping up production of its upcoming Apple silicon products as it's faced shortages for its new iPhone 12 line, according to reports from Bloomberg and Nikkei Asian Review. The launch also comes after Apple reported strong fiscal-fourth-quarter performance for the Mac product line as remote work and education because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The move to create its own Mac chips gives Apple more control over the launch cycle for its laptops and desktops as well as the features that go into them. Until this point, the Mac has been the only major Apple product that doesn't run on the tech giant's own chips. The iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, and Apple TV all run on the company's own processors.
The switch also means Mac laptops will be able to run iPhone apps, significantly expanding the selection of available programs for Apple's notebooks and desktops and making the experience more consistent with its mobile products.
Still, that doesn't mean Apple is completely moving away from Intel just yet. The company said it expects the transition to take two years and it will continue supporting Intel-based Macs.
As is typically the case with Apple, the company has been vague about what to expect from its upcoming event.
But Apple CEO Tim Cook teased that there are more product announcements to come in 2020 during the company's recent fourth quarter earnings call on October 29.
"Without giving away too much," he said. "I can tell you that this year has a few more exciting things in store."