Two new mystery Macs appear in Steam's gaming hardware database

2023 MacBook Pros?

The 13-inch model is the only M2 MacBook Pro so far (Image credit: Future)

There’s been plenty of talk around new Macs potentially making their debut in early 2023, and another clue just showed up: two mysterious and as-yet-unannounced Apple computers have appeared as entries in Steam’s hardware database.

The database logs computers and software being used to access Steam games, and one eagle-eyed user (via MacRumors (opens in new tab)) has noticed that in amongst all the regular records we have mentions of a “Mac14,6” and a “Mac15,4”.

That’s all the information we have on these computers right now, but there have already been plenty of rumors around new 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pros carrying M2 Pro and M2 Max chips making an appearance in late 2022 or early 2023.

Now in testing

It’s worth nothing that both of the identified Mac models in the Steam database appear with 0% usage – it would appear that these aren’t computers that are actually out in the world, but rather being tested in Apple’s labs.

If you have a sneaking feeling that you’ve heard that “Mac 14,6” moniker before, you’re absolutely right: benchmarking scores for that computer leaked a few days ago, showing just how much performance the jump to the M2 chip series would potentially bring.

Of course we already know how impressive the M2 version of the 13-inch MacBook Pro is, so we’re excited to see the 14-inch and the 16-inch models reach parity. Based on the Steam database, we’re not going to have to wait much longer.

Analysis: 2023 in Macs

The 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pros aren’t the only new Macs we are waiting for: the M2 chip is expected to make its way inside updated versions of the Mac Studio, the Mac Pro, and quite possibly the Mac mini before we see the end of 2023.

However, it’s the 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pros that look most likely to be the ones getting refreshed first. We’ve been waiting for them for much of 2022, and some of the most reliable sources in the business have revealed that they’re now due in early 2023.

At the same time, we’re awaiting upgraded versions of the Apple M2 chip that has already appeared in the 13-inch MacBook Pro and the MacBook Air. As with the M1 before it, Apple is expected to unveil more powerful versions of the silicon as time goes on.

Indeed, almost any Mac that wasn’t updated in 2022 could now be due for a new edition with upgraded processors and memory inside – and of course we will keep you up to date with all the rumors and the official announcements over the next 12 months.

David Nield

Freelance Contributor

Dave is a freelance tech journalist who has been writing about gadgets, apps and the web for more than two decades. Based out of Stockport, England, on TechRadar you’ll find him covering news, features and reviews, particularly for phones, tablets and wearables. Working to ensure our breaking news coverage is the best in the business over weekends, David also has bylines at Gizmodo, T3, PopSci and a few other places besides, as well as being many years editing the likes of PC Explorer and The Hardware Handbook.