The rumor mill is in full swing ahead of Apple's WWDC 2023 conference in June. Now Apple itself may have accidentally confirmed three new Macs are in the works. Identifiers for three unreleased Mac models have been uncovered in a configuration file of Apple’s Find My network, as spotted by developer Nicolás Álvarez.
The file on Apple's backend has to do with overriding "separation monitoring," meaning that it controls whether specific Mac models will notify the user when they’re left behind. Three identifiers for unreleased Macs were included: Mac14,8, Mac14,13, and Mac14,14. They appear alongside identifiers for Apple's latest tiny-but-mighty Mac mini M2 and Mac mini M2 Pro models, which we consider some of the best mini PCs out there.
Given that these models don't need to be tracked via Apple's Find My network, this implies we may be looking at desktop Mac models as opposed to a portable Mac. Of the identifiers we already know, it looks like only desktop Macs are on the list, which also points to that conclusion.
Mac14,8, Mac14,13 and Mac14,14 spotted in Find My configuration. I think they are in a list of devices where "you left your device behind" should be disabled, so they're likely desktops (Mac Studio?).April 22, 2023
It’s hard to say with any certainty which Mac computer each of these models could be. In recent years Apple has switched up its internal naming conventions from more specific model identifiers to generic "Mac"-based ones. But the names do provide one clue: Starting with M2, the identifier for every Mac with that chip begins with "Mac 14," as noted by 9to5Mac. For example, the Mac mini M2 is “Mac14,3,” the Mac mini M2 Pro is “Mac14,12” and the MacBook Air M2 is “Mac14,2."
One potential contender is the new Mac Pro 2023 tipped to be revealed at some point this summer. Since the Mac Pro is the last computer from Apple yet to get the Apple Silicon treatment, it’s extremely likely the company will ditch the current model's Intel processor in favor of its in-house designed chip.
Another important thing to note: Models with multiple chip options can have several identifiers in Apple's internal systems, as we saw with the Mac mini and the other latest Macs. So it's not clear just how many product lines these three identifiers may be tied to. These three identifiers could represent three versions of a single model in Apple's Mac lineup, or two variants of one product and another of a second product. There's just no telling.
Things should become clearer as we get closer to WWDC 2023. As of now, the new 15-inch MacBook Air is shaping up to be the most likely launch at Apple's conference. We're also likely to learn more about iOS 17, the launch of Apple's AR/VR headset, and other hardware and software updates.
