Apple rolls out Macbooks with new M2 chips in rare January launch

An Apple logo is pictured in an Apple store in Paris, France September 17, 2021. REUTERS/Gonzalo Fuentes

(Reuters) - Apple Inc on Tuesday unveiled MacBooks powered by its new and faster M2 Pro and M2 Max chips in a surprise launch weeks ahead of its usual schedule.

The roll-out of the devices using Apple's latest versions of the M2 chip, which it debuted last year, is an outgrowth of the tech giant's decision in 2020 to use semiconductors designed in-house after 15 years of relying on Intel's technology.