Apple's long-rumored M2 chip (successor to the popular Apple Silicon M1 chip) may have entered mass production.

This was reported by Nikkei Asia as a source "familiar with the matter". If this report is accurate, it suggests the possibility of the next wave of Macs with the new Apple Silicon.

According to Nikkei Asia's sources, the M2 chip will begin shipping in July and could be available later this year. That would be an appropriate time for it to be installed in the 2021 MacBook Pro 16-inch.

According to leaked information, the M2 chip will have much more power than the M1. This includes 12 CPU cores, consisting of four performance cores and four high-efficiency cores, and 16 GPU cores. [The M1 chip has an 8-core CPU (4 performance cores and 4 high-efficiency cores) and an 8-core GPU. We see a big upgrade.

We are not saying that the M1 chip is going to be obsolete. The chip has already wowed with its performance, offering more power and better battery life at the same price as the old Intel MacBook. Apple has included the M1 chip in its newly announced iMac 2021 and iPad Pro 2021.

But Apple needs to keep pushing the envelope, especially given Apple's goal of moving away from Intel chips within the next two years, and if the M2 chip, or M1X, as it will really be called, will offer all the power without sacrificing battery life We can only hope that it delivers.

Expect more information to come in the coming months, especially as the rumored mid-year release date for the MacBook Pro 16-inch 2021 approaches.