An internal Apple kernel debug kit suggests that the company has tested a MacBook with the A15 chip , alongside a separate MacBook based on the A18 Pro that appears to be closer to a product that could be released.
The information comes from kernel debug kit files used by Apple engineers. The kit was accidentally released on Apple's website earlier this year, but was quickly removed after the information began to leak.
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MacBook: Testing with the A15 Chip?
Within the Mac-related listings, there is a line that explicitly describes an unreleased MacBook configuration running the A15 chip. The line appears under the project label “mac14p” on a platform labeled H14P. MacRumors believes this MacBook A15 corresponds to the codename J267.
In the same dataset, there is also a separate MacBook entry linked to the A18 Pro. It has the ID J700 and is said to use the A18 Pro chip with a wireless “Sunrise” attributed to MediaTek. Compared to the A15 test configuration, the MacBook A18 Pro entry reads more like a defined product configuration, as it is identified by a specific internal code name and accompanying subsystem details.
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However, it's unlikely that Apple will release a Mac powered by the A15 Bionic, nearly five years after the chip was introduced. A MacBook with the A18 Pro chip would be more likely.
The MacBook A15 was likely used as an unreleased test platform, ahead of reported plans to release a budget MacBook with an iPhone chip. Apple's original Developer Transition Kit Mac mini with Apple silicon featured the A12Z chip, but all Apple silicon Macs available to consumers have M-series chips.
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Rumors suggest the budget MacBook will be released next year, featuring the A18 Pro chip, a 13-inch display, and color options in silver, blue, pink, and yellow.
