Apple rolls out faster M2 chips, powerful laptops in rare January launch

Apple Inc on Tuesday unveiled MacBooks powered by its new M2 Pro and M2 Max chips, in a surprise announcement weeks ahead of its traditional launch event.

The Mac mini starts at $599, cheaper than the latest iPhone 14 series, and is available from Jan. 24. MacBook Pro 14-inch and 16-inch with the latest chips start at $1,999, compared with the $1,299 price tag of a 13-inch model fitted with the M2 chip.

Apple’s latest chips are upgrades to the M2 chip launched last year and a part of the company’s efforts to rely more on chips designed in-house after it moved away from using Intel’s technology in 2020 following 15 years of collaboration.