tenthousandthings

TSMC has always said “2H 2025” for the start of volume production of N2. Any early reports that it would be used for a September 2025 product like iPhone 17 were always fantasy.

Interesting that Kuo thinks A20 Pro/M6 on N2 in 2026 will parallel A17 Pro/M3 on N3 in 2023, but it’s hard to know if he’s just guessing based on that past history or if he actually has sources telling him that Apple doesn’t have a non-Pro A20 taped out, for whatever reason.

nubus said:

danox said:

bala1234 said:
Hidden in between the lines is an admission that Microsoft has (almost) caught up on the performance advantage of AS in the general purpose computing. 

With Intel currently going down the drain, what are you talking about the average Windows laptop can’t do multiple tasks and last more than four hours unplugged from the wall they haven’t caught up in performance to Mac M series laptops

Apple Silicon is fast and power efficient due to memory integration and use of the latest TSMC nodes. iPhone 12/13/14/15 (base) were stuck on almost the same TSMC node and performance didn't move for 4 generations. Intel just launched Lunar Lake using the same 3nm tech from TSMC as Apple M4 and the same on-chip memory integration. It seems Lunar Lake is delivering beyond M4 "base" level. Gamers don't need Apple.

The Lunar Lake tiles are the same TSMC node as M3, not M4. 

Alex1N said:

tenthousandthings said:

davidjbradshaw said:

Given how these model names work, [...]

Here's the identifiers (different from model numbers) since M2, when they began using "Mac" for all of them:

M2

Mac14,2 :: M2 MacBook Air 13"

Mac14,3 :: M2 Mac mini

Mac14,5 :: M2 Pro MacBook Pro 14"

Mac14,6 :: M2 Pro MacBook Pro 16"

Mac14,7 :: M2 MacBook Pro 13"

Mac14,8 :: M2 Ultra Mac Pro

Mac14,9 :: M2 Max MacBook Pro 14"

Mac14,10 :: M2 Max MacBook Pro 16"

Mac14,12 :: M2 Pro Mac mini

Mac14,13 :: M2 Max Mac Studio

Mac14,14 :: M2 Ultra Mac Studio

Mac14,15 :: M2 MacBook Air 15"

M3

Mac15,3 :: M3 (8/10) MacBook Pro 14"

Mac 15,4 :: M3 (8/8) iMac (Two ports)

Mac 15,5 :: M3 (8/10) iMac (Four ports)

Mac15,6 :: M3 Pro (11/14) MacBook Pro 14"

Mac15,7 :: M3 Pro (12/18) MacBook Pro 16"

Mac15,8 :: M3 Pro (12/18) MacBook Pro 14"

Mac15,9 :: M3 Max (14/30) MacBook Pro 16"

Mac15,10 :: M3 Max (14/30) MacBook Pro 14"

Mac15,11 :: M3 Max (16/40) MacBook Pro 16"

Mac15,12 :: M3 MacBook Air 13"

Mac15,13 :: M3 MacBook Air 15"

It's guesswork, but here's what I think the four in this most recent leak mean:

M4 (projected)

Mac16,1 :: M4 (8/8) iMac (Two ports)

Mac16,2 :: M4 (10/10) iMac (Four ports)

Mac16,3 :: M4 (10/10) MacBook Pro 14"

Mac16,10 :: M4 (10/10) Mac mini

Thanks for the M2 list and M4 projections, tenthousandthings. Given that list, with regard to the M2 Studio (Mac14,13/Mac14,14), it does appear that the M4 Studio won’t be released any time soon, ditto the M4 Pro mini - if that numbering scheme persists to the M4 Studio and mini ranges. 

Unfortunately for me, the Studio is now my preferred option given that it has a fan and a great big copper heatsink, as opposed to the (currently) fan-less mini; and my 11,3 mid-2010 27” i7 iMac is really on its last legs.

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.

We don’t know how the “Mac” identifiers are assigned, and it’s hard to guess with only two full generations to extrapolate from.

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.

davidjbradshaw said:

Given how these model names work, [...]

Here's the identifiers (different from model numbers) since M2, when they began using "Mac" for all of them:

Mac4mac said:

It’s funny how Apple (TSMC) has been making M4 chips for months now, and only the iPad has been released that is using it…. Why? 

My guess is that Apple is using the M4 chips that it’s making and putting them into the specialised hardware that is to run  Apple Intelligence in their Datacentres. 

It’s the only plausible explanation for such a gap. 

This being the (likely) case, it must be a Golden chip!!

Early M4 production is a rounding error in relation to the A18 inventory buildup for iPhone 16. It’s good for working the kinks out for M4 Pro/Max production, but the vast majority of the first six months or so of volume production on a new process node is reserved for the A-series.