New M4 Mac models being tested ahead of likely October release
Recently discovered developer test logs suggest that Apple is preparing to release a new M4 Mac a month after the iPhone 16 event.
The 14-inch MacBook Pro is to be the first to gain the M4 processor
As we move into the second half of 2024, many Apple fans are preparing for the highly anticipated iPhone event, where the tech giant will unveil the iPhone 16. However, the iPhone isn't the only thing we can look forward to this year - new Macs are also expected to be released.
Apple has begun testing unreleased Mac models to ensure compatibility with third-party applications, according to developer test logs seen by Bloomberg. The Macs being tested have been identified as "16,1," "16,2," "16,3," and "16,10."
Each Mac is a base-level version of a machine equipped with an M4 chip. Of the four, three have 10 total cores in their CPUs, while one lower-end has eight cores. The 10-core CPUs tested also have 10-core graphics processing units, while the eight-core CPU has an eight-core GPU. All models being tested have either 16 or 32 gigabytes of memory.
This would suggest that the models being tested are likely a new MacBook Pro lineup. As they are being tested, it would make sense to see a new M4 MacBook Pro line as early as October.
An October launch would also align Apple's previous months-long gap between the base M-series chip and the Pro and Max releases in the M1 and M2 generations. The October 2023 update saw all three chip tiers introduced simultaneously and in the MacBook Air lineup.
While there's no concrete way to tell when Apple is going to launch a product, it's likely that we'll see the MacBook Pro and Mac mini lines updated first. The iMac could also see a refresh this fall, but we anticipate the MacBook Air will need to wait until spring of 2025 before its jump to M4.
Read on AppleInsider
Comments
Wait wait wait, does this report say that it's not just moving the base from 8GB to 12GB as speculated, but the entry level is now 16GB? That's great news if that's what it's saying! Hope there aren't 8GB entry-er models hiding out there
8 core M4 instead of the already binned iPad Pro's 9 core is slightly odd, but it's 4+4 instead of 3+6 so probably makes sense from an available power and thermal situation
M4 iMac
M4 Mac mini
M4 Macbook Air
M4 Macbook Pro
Could be a really fast 6 month life for the M3 MBA15. Would be a miracle if the iMac is updated within a year.
This might be the year my 2013 iMac 27" is retired. It's still going though. We don't use it for anything other than as a server, mostly.
Not the Air, which is getting M5 in the first half of 2025.
MacBook Air 13 8 core
MacBook Air 13 10 core
MacBook Air 15 10 core
MacBook Pro 14 10 core
It's guesswork, but here's what I think the four in this most recent leak mean:
M4 (projected)
Mac mini 8/8 with 2 performances cores and 6 efficiency cores
mac mini 10/10
macbook pro 14 10/10
MacBook Pro 16 10/10
Given the time- and (likely) feature-gaps between the M2 and M4 ranges, at this stage I don’t want to have to cough up for an M2 Studio, and definitely not an M2 mini, but I may have to if the iMac croaks before the release of the M4 (Max) Studio. I’m not sure that M2 trade-ins would be worth as much as I would like and/or need. If only money weren’t an object.
Regarding fans, once you have been fan-less, there is no going back. Like children, computers should be "seen and not heard". For studio sound recording, it means you no longer need a 'booth' and do you really want to be distracted by a change of fan speed, up or down, while writing? Silence is bliss and its value cannot be underestimated.
My next Mac will be a fan-less, small laptop with either 8 or 16 TB internal storage. A mini would be tempting except that an MBA can do everything a mini can do plus it is also a laptop. Otherwise, I could just buy an NVMe thunderbolt-connected 8TB and make my current M1 MBA last another 10 years.
With regard to your interests, I think March is the latest we’ll see the M4 Max Studio, and October is the earliest we’ll see the M4 Pro Mini. I say that because I think M5 is coming at WWDC 2025 in the MacBook Air (Mac17,1 and Mac17,2—identifiers that have appeared in the macOS Sequoia developer builds) and so far Apple has not shown any inclination to launch the next generation before the current generation is complete. So M5 won’t launch before M4 Ultra. That means sooner rather than later.