Here’s a fun fact you should know when identifying Mac models. Back in 2006 when Apple transitioned its Mac lineup from the PowerPC to Intel processors, the company used distinct model identifiers for each model in the lineup. The Intel Mac lineup initially consisted of these models: iMac, Mac mini, Mac Pro, MacBook, and MacBook Pro. However, starting in 2022, Apple unified several model identifiers into a single “Mac” model identifier for all the models they’ll introduce or update in the lineup. The Mac Studio was the first Mac model Apple introduced that year, and it had the model identifiers “Mac13,1” and “Mac13,2.”
Because the Mac Studio was the last Mac model to be introduced with any variant of the M1 chip, it was the only model in the Mac lineup with the new Mac identifier “Mac13,x.” The rest of the first Mac models with Apple Silicon retained their corresponding Mac identifiers. Since the launch of the MacBook Air with the M2 chip that was introduced later that year, all Mac models with any variant of the M2 chip use a Mac identifier “Mac14,x.” Now, the latest generations of Mac models with any variant of the M3 chip use a Mac identifier “Mac15,x.” So based on this pattern, the M4-based Mac models will likely feature the identifier “Mac16,x.”
Apple has also applied this unified model identifier for other product categories, including the Apple Watch, iPhone, and iPad, and the same scheme applies to each of those products where the number before the comma corresponds to the generation of Apple Silicon the corresponding product uses. Here are several examples:
- iPhone16,x represents iPhone models with an A17 Pro chip or possibly an A17 chip if Apple were to introduce that at some point.
- iPhone15,x represents iPhone models with an A16 chip
- iPhone14,x represents iPhone models with an A15 chip
- Watch7,x represents Apple Watch models with the S9 SiP (System in Package)
- Watch6,x represents Apple Watch models with the S6/S7/S8 SiP – all use the same CPU chip
- Watch5,x represents Apple Watch models with the S5 SiP
- iPad14,x represents iPad models with an A15 chip or M2 chip, whose architecture is based on the A15 chip
- iPad13,x represents iPad models with an A14 chip or M1 chip, whose architecture is based on the A14 chip
- iPad12,x represents iPad models with an A13 chip, and so on.
So by unifying all of the existing Mac models’ identifiers, Apple can simplify identifying its Macs based on the generation of Apple Silicon.
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