Russian site listed many leaked M4 MacBook Pro models for sale

AppleInsider

A Russian classified ads website has reportedly listed not one, but many of the purportedly leaked M4 MacBook Pro models yet to be launched by Apple.

M4-equipped MacBook Pros will be the highlight of Apple's late October event.

First there was a claim in September 2024 that a user in Russia had an unreleased M4 MacBook Pro. Then the same model appeared to be shown on YouTube, again by Russian users. Now it's reported that the device had been put up for sale on Avito, with several units available.

Just as it is still possible that the YouTube devices are fake, there is some doubt over the classified ad posting. All such listings appear to have been removed from Avito at time of writing.

Nonetheless, as first spotted by MacRumors, users on social media have been posting screenshots of the Avito listings.

MacBook Pro M4 ~$7500

MacBook Pro 14" M4 16/512 . pic.twitter.com/6k9oGPpNc2

-- Apple Pro (@aaplpro)

October 8, 2024

In machine translation, the tweet says that the "yet-to-be-released MacBook Pro with the M4 chip could be purchased for ~$7,500 on Avito."

What's most significant is that the listing was reportedly not for a single M4 MacBook Pro. Instead, it had some number of them, which implies this leak is not just a repeat of how the iPhone 4 got accidentally left in a bar.

It's not clear how many units were offered for sale, but the implication is that a batch of them was intercepted. Or perhaps that thieves broke into a manufacturing plant.

Apple does not currently do business with Russia, so it won't be that a shipment to the country was stolen.

The purported M4 MacBook Pro comes with three Thunderbolt ports instead of two. It's colored Space Black, and has 16GB RAM.

Separately, Apple is expected to launch the new M4 MacBook Pro by the end of October 2024. The devices will then be shipping on November 1.



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appleish

Oh, yeah. Russia. That's a country to be trusted. I'll take four!

jesusfreak

Might as well move up that release date, since the cat is out of the bag. ;-)

9secondkox2

Likely not retail models. Straight from the factory. Whoever buys these will likely be tracked down and forced to return them. 

Hope the original peeps are found and dealt with by law enforcement. Especially the factory contact. 

mplsp

Waiting for mine. I sent them my account information to transfer the funds and I haven’t heard back yet…

9secondkox2

MplsP said:

Waiting for mine. I sent them my account information to transfer the funds and I haven’t heard back yet…

LOL

b57

Russians… can they do something right for once?

eriamjh

$7500 for a laptop that will be $2000 or less in 3 weeks.   

I’m in.  Ordered two.  

lordjohnwhorfin

It’s RUSSIA. Of course it’s BS.

forgot username

That’s Hunter Biden's laptop, and it was signed by Steve Jobs. 

s.metcalf

b57 said:

Russians… can they do something right for once?

Nope.  No they cannot.  Hilarious that Vadim from Max Tech thinks it’s real.  Lost a lot of respect for him right then and there.  Does he really think factory workers don’t go through a metal detector when leaving a production plant?  Does he really think anyone in China with sufficiently high clearance would risk their job with Apple, not to mention crippling fines and possibly even jail time?  We know how seriously Apple takes security, does he really think someone could pull off a heist on unreleased products?

If anything it shows how desperate the Russians are getting.  There’s no limit to what they’re willing to do to scam people.

edited October 2024

9secondkox2

s.metcalf said:

b57 said:

Russians… can they do something right for once?

Nope.  No they cannot.  Hilarious that Vadim from Max Tech thinks it’s real.  Lost a lot of respect for him right then and there.  Does he really think factory workers don’t go through a metal detector when leaving a production plant?  Does he really think anyone in China with sufficiently high clearance would risk their job with Apple, not to mention crippling fines and possibly even jail time?  We know how seriously Apple takes security, does he really think someone could pull off a heist on unreleased products?

If anything it shows how desperate the Russians are getting.  There’s no limit to what they’re willing to do to scam people.

Doesn’t have to be a rank and file factory worker. 

Could be a disposal specialist too. 

22july2013

Someone M4de off with M4ny M4 M4cbooks and that M4kes me M4d.

sturmi

Who says that these M4 Macbooks are really already sitting on some shelf in RuZZia ??
Most likely these offers are from scalpers who are the only sellers of Macbooks in Putinland …
And these scalpers are only using the report about the stolen M4 Macbook as free PR for the scalped  Macbooks they will have in ample supply four weeks from today.

libertyandfree

s.metcalf said:

b57 said:

Russians… can they do something right for once?

Nope.  No they cannot.  Hilarious that Vadim from Max Tech thinks it’s real.  Lost a lot of respect for him right then and there.  Does he really think factory workers don’t go through a metal detector when leaving a production plant?  Does he really think anyone in China with sufficiently high clearance would risk their job with Apple, not to mention crippling fines and possibly even jail time?  We know how seriously Apple takes security, does he really think someone could pull off a heist on unreleased products?

If anything it shows how desperate the Russians are getting.  There’s no limit to what they’re willing to do to scam people.

 I find it hard for you to believe someone could not sneak one of these out.  It’s very plausible to do since there are so many hands that touch them once in production.  If it were a prototype then it’s seems unlikely but an actual production unit makes it highly likely to be legit. 

PS if these M4 MacBook Pros are legit then your respect for Vadim at Max Tech should go to the moon. 

edited October 2024

s.metcalf

I suppose it’s possible, but it does seem unlikely.  Much less likely than someone faking it for clicks or trying to make a quick buck.

entropys

Sturmi said:

Who says that these M4 Macbooks are really already sitting on some shelf in RuZZia ??
Most likely these offers are from scalpers who are the only sellers of Macbooks in Putinland …
And these scalpers are only using the report about the stolen M4 Macbook as free PR for the scalped  Macbooks they will have in ample supply four weeks from today.

I think Apple actually isn’t selling anything directly in Russia. Which means that surrounding countries’s smugglers are doing a booming trade, along with every other sanction applied product.  Macs find a way…