Apple is expected to launch new 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models with Apple Silicon chips at the end of 2021, putting increased pressure on Intel, plus increasing the market share of laptops.
Taiwanese research company TrendForce says that although the Apple M1 chip was officially launched in November 2020, its market share reached only 0.8% by the end of that year. The first M1 Macs included a 13-inch MacBook Pro, a MacBook Air and a Mac mini.
The pair of MacBook Pro models equipped with a patented Apple processor could market share of the company’s processor up to 7%, estimates TrendForce. This, along with an increase in AMD’s share price, could put increasing pressure on Intel.
TF Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo previously predicted that the new 14-inch MacBook Pro and 16-inch MacBook Pro with Apple chip could arrive by the second or third quarter of 2021.
Apple itself has said that the transition to Apple Silicon, first announced in June 2020, will take about two years. Other Apple Silicon Mac models that are said to be in the works include new iMac, Mac Pro and iMac Pro variants.
The M1 chip has been well received since its launch in 2020 and has offered performance that surpasses even the top Intel chips. The M1 in the 13-inch MacBook Pro, for example, is almost as fast as a 16-inch MacBook Pro model with an Intel processor.
At the end of 2020, Intel was urged to make major changes or explore strategic options in the face of growing competition from chip makers,