The Mac’s M4 era begins this week: Here’s what’s coming when
Date: 2024-10-27The next major cycle of Mac upgrades revolves around the M4 chip and it’s starting this week. Instead of an event, Apple teased “an exciting week†of releases starting Monday, with several new M4 Macs making their debut. And if the rumors are correct, this is just the start, with every Mac in Apple’s lineup getting an update within the next few months. For the first time since Apple silicon arrived, every model will soon be running the same chip. Here’s what’s coming this week—and beyond.
Coming this week
M4 iMac
The iMac’s M4 upgrade is scheduled for the fall.
Foundry
Release date: Reports indicate that Apple will refresh the M4 iMac this week, just a year after Apple released the M3 iMac. The M3 iMac replaced the M1 iMac, which was released in May 2021. Given the fact that the iMac has just one chip (the base M4) and isn’t likely to get much more than a new processor, iit’s likely that this is the first release of the week
Design: Apple won’t change anything about the iMac design. The current 24-inch iMac design was introduced in May 2021, and it will almost certainly remain in place for a few more years.
Chip: The 24-inch iMac features base M-series chips, so the new iMac will have the base M4. Benchmarks have shown that the M4 offers a 20 percent improvement over the M3.
Features: Apple is not expected to upgrade the Retina display, change the port configuration (two Thunderbolt/USB 4 ports (two additional USB-3 ports, and gigabit ethernet on the mid-and high-end models), and a 3.5mm audio jack), or upgrade the camera or speakers. Wi-Fi 7 support is possible since the Wi-Fi Alliance made the standard official at the beginning of January.
Rumors say Apple could release a new iMac with a display as large as 32 inches and a higher-end M4 chip. It’s unlikely that such an iMac is ready for this fall, though Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman recently reported that “it’s unclear if that will be an M4 product or something that comes the following year or later.â€
M4 MacBook Pro
The MacBook Pro will get its M4 upgrade this fall.
Foundry
Release date: Apple will release the M4 series of MacBook Pro this week with an expected ship date of November 1. It’s almost exactly a year after Apple released the M3 MacBook Pro lineup. We expect the MacBook Pro to arrive on Tuesday to launch the full line of M4.
Design: Apple won’t change anything about the MacBook Pro design. The 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro design was introduced in 2021. This design will be in place for a few more years.
Chip: Apple releases the MacBook Pro with three versions of its M-series chip: A base chip, a Pro chip, and a Max chip. The M4 Pro and M4 Max will be variants of the base M4, implementing more CPU and GPU cores and more unified memory. The M4 chips will offer a 20 percent improvement over the M3 chips they replace.
Features: Apple is not expected to upgrade the Liquid Retina XDR display, change the port configuration (MagSafe 3, two or three Thunderbolt/USB 4 ports, HDMI, an SDXC Card slot, and a 3.5mm audio jack), or upgrade the camera or speakers. Wi-Fi 7 support is possible since the Wi-Fi Alliance made the standard official at the beginning of January.
M4 Mac mini
The M4 Mac mini may have a new, smaller design than the current M2 Mac mini (above).
Foundry
Release date: The biggest announcement of the week will be the Mac mini, replacing the M2 model, which arrived in January 2023. Before that, the M1 Mac mini was released in November 2020. Given the rumors, the Mac mini will likely be Apple’s last announcement this week.
Design: The Mac mini will undergo a drastic change, according to Gurman. It will get even smaller, with a footprint about the size of the Apple TV. This would make the Mac mini more of a competitor to the Raspberry Pi, a small PC that’s often used in special setups.
Chip: Apple currently offers the Mac mini with a base or Pro M-series chip, and this will continue with the new design. According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, the Mac mini with a base M4 chip will ship “immediately,†while the M4 Pro model won’t be available until late October.
Features: The smaller design could mean that the Mac mini doesn’t offer some of the ports the current Mac mini offers. Gurman reported that Apple has tested three models that have at least three USB-C ports, a power connector, and an HDMI port. And while Gurman didn’t say so, the USB-C ports are probably also Thunderbolt ports.
The current M2 Mac mini has a gigabit ethernet port, USB-A ports, and a 3.5mm audio jack. The latest rumors don’t say whether the alignment will change. While the ethernet and audio jack are likely to stay, It’s possible that Apple will drop the USB-A ports. Wi-Fi 7 support is also possible since the Wi-Fi Alliance made the standard official at the beginning of January.
Find out the latest about the M4 Mac mini.
Coming in 2025
M4 MacBook Air
The MacBook Air will wait until 2025 for its M4 upgrade.
Foundry
Release date: The M4 upgrade for the MacBook Air looks like an opportunity for Apple to set a regular release period for the company’s most popular Mac. The M4 MacBook Air is expected to ship in the first quarter of 2025, about a year after Apple released the M3 MacBook Air.
The M1 Air was released in November 2020; the M2 Air in July 2022; the 15-inch M2 MacBook Air was released in June 2023. The M4 Air release is a chance to establish a spring cycle for the MacBook Air that Apple could make a regular event.
Design: Apple won’t change anything about the MacBook Air design. The current design was introduced in 2022 and it won’t change for several more years.
Chip: The 2025 MacBook Air will have a base M4 chip, similar to that used in the iPad Pro. Benchmark results show that the M4 offers a 20 percent improvement over the M3 it will replace.
Features: Apple is not expected to upgrade the Liquid Retina display, change the port configuration (MagSafe 3, two Thunderbolt/USB 4 ports, a 3.5mm audio jack), or upgrade the camera or speakers. Wi-Fi 7 support is possible since the Wi-Fi Alliance made the standard official at the beginning of January.
M4 Mac Studio
The M4 Mac Studio is scheduled for a 2025 release.
Willis Lai/Foundry
Release date: The Mac Studio will not get an upgrade to the M4 until 2025, according to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman. The current Mac Studio was released in June 2023 at WWDC, while the first Mac Studio was released in March 2022. So, it appears that the M4 Mac Studio won’t arrive until spring 2025 or at WWDC 2025 in June.
Design: The Mac Studio’s design will be only three years old by the time it is updated to the M4, so it won’t change and will maintain its design for several more years.
Chip: Apple outfits the Mac Studio with Max and Ultra M-series chips. So, the 2025 Mac Studio will likely have M4 Max or M4 Ultra chips. The current Mac Studio features M2 Max and Ultra chips, so the jump in performance should be impressive.
Features: Apple probably won’t change anything about the ports. On the back, the Mac Studio has four Thunderbolt/USB 4 ports, two USB-A ports, gigabit ethernet, HDMI, and a 3.5mm audio jack. On the front of the Mac Studio is an SDXC Card slot; the Mac Studio Max has two USB 3 ports, while the Mac Studio Ultra has two Thunderbolt/USB 4 ports. Wi-Fi 7 support is possible since the Wi-Fi Alliance made the standard official at the beginning of January.
M4 Mac Pro
The design of the Mac Pro hasn’t changed since 2019, and it’s not expected to do so.
Foundry
Release date: The Mac Pro will not get an upgrade to the M4 until 2025, according to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman. The current Mac Pro was released in June 2023 at WWDC. The M4 Mac Pro won’t arrive until late 2025 or at the earliest, WWDC 2025 in June.
Design: Though the design of the Mac Pro is 11 years old, no reports of a redesign have been made. The Mac Pro is made to accommodate internal expansion cards, so if a redesign is in the work, it will keep the tower form factor, which separates it from the Mac Studio.
Chip: Apple uses Ultra versions of its M-series chip for the Mac Pro. The current Mac Pro has a M2 Ultra; the upgrade in 2025 will be a M4 Ultra.
Features: No reports have been made about the Mac Pro’s features, and, likely, Apple won’t change anything about the slots, ports, or chassis. Wi-Fi 7 support is possible since the Wi-Fi Alliance made the standard official at the beginning of January.
