Recently, three unidentified Mac model numbers were found in a Find My configuration file within Apple’s backend system. Discovered by Nicolás Álvarez (via @aaronp613), these mysterious models have generated considerable curiosity and speculation.
New Mac models on the horizon?
The model numbers Mac14,8, Mac14,13, and Mac14,14 appear alongside Mac14,3 and Mac14,12, which represent the latest M2 and M2 Pro Mac mini models. These new identifiers are associated with “separation monitoring” override settings, implying that they could be desktop Mac models that don’t require active tracking via Find My, unlike portable Macs.
It is not yet clear what these new Macs represent, as Apple has shifted from using specific model identifiers like “MacBookAir10,1” to more generic “Mac”-based ones that could apply to any device in the family. The Mac Pro is the most anticipated upcoming desktop Mac update, but it’s not expected to be ready for launch at the WWDC event in June.
Other possible updates include the Mac Studio, which is unlikely to receive an update until high-end M3 chip family members are available, potentially in early 2024. Given that the Mac mini was updated in January, the iMac is the only other desktop Mac that could be updated. However, it isn’t expected to be refreshed until M3 chips become available later this year.
The exact number of product lines represented by these three new model identifiers remains uncertain. As seen with the Mac mini and other recent Macs, models with multiple chip options can have several identifiers. This means that these new identifiers could signify three variations of a single product or a combination of variants from different products.
As WWDC approaches, more information about potential Mac updates may become available. Currently, the most anticipated Mac product expected to launch at the event is a new 15-inch MacBook Air, rather than a desktop Mac.