San Francisco, Jul 7 (IANS): Apple's upcoming 'M2' processor will be arriving in early 2022 with the first hardware using it set to be some form of MacBook with an updated colour scheme, media reports said.

According to AppleInsider, so far, Apple has released only one chip under the Apple Silicon banner, with the M1 appearing in the first wave of Apple's transitional devices.

While it is unclear what Apple's next Apple Silicon effort will be, one leaker claims a proper second-generation chip won't be arriving until 2022.

An iOS developer claimed on Twitter on Monday that the next-generation 'M2' is "on track for release in the first half of 2022".

As for the potential product that it will be included within, the Twitter account states that it will be an "upcoming colourful MacBook (Air)".

Rumours and leaks have proposed that the next MacBook Air could follow the 24-inch iMac in departing from the usual silver casing, in favour of a more colourful lineup.

The developed also points out that the rumour is about the 'M2' specifically, in that it is different from the 'M1X' that is "reserved for the Pro Mac devices".

In February, it was claimed the 'M1X' would be an iteration of the M1, using 12 CPU cores instead of 8 and 16 GPU cores instead of 7 or 8, as well as a higher thermal design point of 35W instead of 15W with the M1.

In April, a supply chain report pointed at Apple producing new MacBook Pro models for the second half of 2021.

The 'M2' was said to have entered mass production earlier in April, which makes it a good candidate for use in the new models.