The M4 chip debuted earlier this year with the new iPad Pro, which was a rather pleasant surprise for tablet fans considering the M3 lineup only launched in MacBook Pro laptops late in 2023 at Apple’s ‘Scary Fast’ event. Now, a new report suggests that the entire Mac range will be getting the M4 treatment this year and well into 2025 as well.
Well-known leaker Mark Gurman forecast earlier this year that we should expect M4 Macbooks later in 2024, and has doubled down on that prediction in his latest newsletter for Bloomberg, observing that: “There’s been speculation online about when to expect the M4 Mac line, which I first discussed months ago. After checking around, I don’t see a change in schedule.
“The M4 iMacs, MacBook Pros (low- and high-end versions) and Mac minis (low- and high-end models as well) are due between the end of 2024 and early 2025. New MacBook Airs are coming in the spring of 2025, and the Mac Pro and Mac Studio models will arrive around the second half of next year.”
Gurman is a reliable leaker in the world of Apple rumors, and seems confident enough in this bit of crystal ball gazing at this point. Assuming this all pans out, we’re expecting the MacBook Pro to be the first model to get updated Apple silicon. As noted, the M4 wave is expected to carry on into 2025, eventually bringing Apple’s entire Mac range up to speed with the next-gen CPU.
A speedy turnaround
You may be thinking that this sounds like quite a fast turnaround considering the M3 MacBook Air came out relatively recently, but with the whole industry pumping out AI-focused devices, we expect the M4 to power the new AI features announced at WWDC 2024 not long ago (in macOS Sequoia and other Apple operating systems). Of course, macOS 15 is due to be released later this year, so having MacBook Pro M4 models arriving that make good use of new features built around Apple Intelligence makes sense.
With the Mac Pro and Mac Studio also included in the M4 refreshes next year, we could see the M4 Ultra CPU debut with those models (and M4 Pro and M4 Max chips before that, of course) as Wccftech speculates. (Note that we haven’t even seen the M3 Ultra yet).
Overall, this is an exciting time for Mac users who are looking forward to embracing the world of AI on their Macs and MacBooks. And for those of us who are still mulling over investing in a Mac, we know that new releases often lead to lower prices on older devices.
While all this is just rumors and speculation ultimately, and we do have to take it with a pinch of salt, Gurman feels like he’s more convinced now - and we may not have to wait long for further evidence to emerge, if MacBook Pro M4 models really are getting near.
