Apple Potentially Facing Worst Leak Since iPhone 4 Was Left in a Bar

[MacRumors]

Alleged photos and videos of an unannounced 14-inch MacBook Pro with an M4 chip continue to surface on social media, in what could be the worst product leak for Apple since an employee accidentally left an iPhone 4 prototype at a bar in California in 2010.

The latest video of what could be a next-generation MacBook Pro was shared on YouTube Shorts today by Russian channel Romancev768, just one day after another Russian channel shared a similar video. The clip shows a box for a 14-inch MacBook Pro that is apparently configured with an M4 chip with a 10-core CPU and a 10-core GPU, 16GB of RAM, 512GB of storage, three Thunderbolt 4 ports, and a Space Black finish.

According to the "About This Mac" software menu shown in the video, the MacBook Pro in the video is allegedly an unreleased November 2024 model.

Given this MacBook Pro has the standard M4 chip, instead of a higher-end M4 Pro or M4 Max chip, the leaked unit could be the next entry-level 14-inch MacBook Pro. If so, that means the minimum amount of RAM for the MacBook Pro lineup would be doubled from 8GB to 16GB, as previously rumored. A third Thunderbolt 4 port would also be an upgrade for the base model, as the current entry-level 14-inch MacBook Pro is equipped with only two Thunderbolt 3 ports. Last, Space Black would be a new color option for the entry-level 14-inch MacBook Pro, as the base model is currently only offered in Space Gray and Silver.

All other specifications listed on the box are familiar, including the display size and resolution, and other ports like MagSafe 3, HDMI, and an SD card slot. In addition, the 14-inch MacBook Pro does not appear to have any noticeable design changes.

Alleged box for 14-inch MacBook Pro with M4 chip​

Photos of this alleged MacBook Pro box were first shared by the leaker "ShrimpApplePro" on social media platform X last week. At the time, the authenticity of the photos was debated, particularly because the box reuses the same MacBook Pro graphic that appears on the current-generation MacBook Pro boxes. The two unboxing videos increase the likelihood of these leaks being legitimate, but there is no definitive proof.

The source of these leaks is unclear. Last week, "ShrimpApplePro" claimed that at least one of the unannounced 14-inch MacBook Pro units was apparently being offered for sale in a private Facebook group. In a follow-up post on X on Sunday, the leaker claimed that he saw someone online who was apparently advertising 200 of the unannounced 14-inch MacBook Pro units for sale, leading him to believe this leak originates from a warehouse. It is unclear if these details are accurate, but this whole situation is clearly very sketchy.

Even if these leaks are fake, some of the specifications shown are likely accurate regardless. For example, the M4 chip already debuted in the iPad Pro earlier this year, and from that we know that the chip is indeed available with up to a 10-core CPU.

Bloomberg's Mark Gurman on Sunday said that he expects Apple to announce the first Macs with the M4 series of chips around the end of October, including a 14-inch MacBook Pro with the M4 chip, higher-end 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models with M4 Pro and M4 Max chips, a redesigned Mac mini with M4 and M4 Pro chips, and an iMac with the M4 chip. He said Apple plans to release "at least some" of these Macs on Friday, November 1.

Gurman previously said that Apple would likely hold an October event this year to announce the new Macs, similar to how it introduced the current MacBook Pro and iMac models with M3 chips during a virtual event on October 30 last year. Apple has yet to announce an October event this year, however, and press releases are always possible instead.

Apple is well known for having a culture of secrecy, so this magnitude of leak is rarely seen for its products. As previously mentioned, this could be the most significant leak for Apple since Gizmodo obtained and shared photos of an iPhone 4 prototype that a then-employee of the company accidentally left behind at a bar in California. In that case, Apple got law enforcement involved, but how it acts this time around remains to be seen.

Article Link: Apple Potentially Facing Worst Leak Since iPhone 4 Was Left in a Bar

 

[kalafalas]

Bold claim, the M4 Mac would have to be as anticipated a product drop as the iPhone 4 to be true and that’s just not the case.

 

[midkay]

I just don't buy it because of the box art. There's been a new box art for each M1, M2 and M3 generation. It makes no sense for the M4 to re-use the M3 box art.

 

[roar08]

While it might be a leak, I don't think this anything on the scale of the iPhone 4 which was a much bigger deal. Potentially leaking an incrementally updated product with no visual changes ... honestly it's hardly news IMO.

 

[DunedinD]

Not really close. iPhone 4 was a wholly new design. This is tinkering with an existing design and a component that, in some variation,has been in the wild for months. But hey, keep up the hyperbole!

 

[frost_horizon]

iPhone 4 was a huge leak because of tons of completely new features and design.
All the new Apple products in 99% of cases are just another iteration of previous design with minor changes. I wouldn’t care even if they were leaked 2 years prior the release.

 

[Think|Different]

Yeah, it's phenomenally interesting as Apple rumors go, for sure...but not like it's some super secret re-design or something. This doesn't move any needle.

 

[spaxxedout]

Yeah, the iPhone 4 scandal was all over the news. We were even reading the police report on here.

Still a very interesting story. Honestly wishing it was the Mac mini, but I guess we’ll have to wait. It seems like the event is on the 28th with launches on the first. VERY curious to see if the Mac mini has an external PSU. Hoping it does because one-cable connection to monitor would be so sick.

 

[ItchyRat2160]

Honestly, If there were more leaks, it might create a market environment that forces more innovation, so I don't really care if their products are leaking like a rusty bucket. Step it up.

 

[CrysisDeu]

The 512 gb storage makes me thing this is the mid range, not the standard option.

Nvm they start with 512 now.

It might still start with 8/12gb

 

[ps3zocker]

These articles lately... it's a MacBook looking exactly the same like the previous year with a new chip. This is nothing groundbreaking, and we've seen worse leaks after the iPhone 4. I remember the iPhone 6 leaked a few days or weeks before the event, they could even turn it on and showed stuff like the updated Passbook app icon which added a fourth pass for Apple Pay.

 

[pretend.doctor]

Maybe a disgruntled employee of a China based contractor is selling these to Russia? No leaks from the US yet.

 

[nick9191]

A spec bump update, with the same design, and a chip that is already shipping? Someone phone Reuters.

 

[tonywalker23]

I have no clue how supply chains work, but I have thought before that with the hundreds/thousands of workers (?) at Apple working on a specific product—and the thousands/tens of thousands (?) of workers making and moving specific products overseas in factories and warehouses—I'm amazed that things stay as secret as they do.

 

[staypuftforums]

Bold claim, the M4 Mac would have to be as anticipated a product drop as the iPhone 4 to be true and that’s just not the case.

“Biggest since…”

 

[ArmouredBear]

"culture of secrecy"
For years, Every single launch is leaked on this bloody site!

 

[Jumpthesnark]

This is so inside baseball. Maybe it's because I'm not in the market for a laptop, but even if I was I already knew there were Macs with the M4 chip coming. We all know that.

It's not a brand new or groundbreaking product. It's an iterative, evolutionary release of an already existing device that we're all familiar with.

 

[JPack]

Maybe a disgruntled employee of a China based contractor is selling these to Russia? No leaks from the US yet.

When the iPhone 4 leaked, Steve Jobs sent police to raid the home of Gizmodo's editor. They were sentenced to a year of probation and had to pay damages.

It's not that nobody in the U.S. wants it. The issue is they will be caught. Not so in Russia.

We don't know where this leak is from. Maybe UPS lost a pallet. Apple pre-positions products to Apple Stores and some retailers weeks in advance of launch.

 

[danpass]

While it might be a leak, I don't think this anything on the scale of the iPhone 4 which was a much bigger deal. Potentially leaking an incrementally updated product with no visual changes ... honestly it's hardly news IMO.

Yep, who cares.

Nobody.

-

 

[hoodafoo]

is it a leak if it's the same exact design for the past 3 years?

 

[KPOM]

While it might be a leak, I don't think this anything on the scale of the iPhone 4 which was a much bigger deal. Potentially leaking an incrementally updated product with no visual changes ... honestly it's hardly news IMO.

That said, it is still a significant leak, since at least 2 versions of a product are out in the wild 3.5 weeks before the expected announcement. Other than the 3rd Thunderbolt port and possible confirmation that Apple is increasing the base RAM to 16GB, not much is unexpected with this, but it is highly unusual that the physical product got out.

 

[DaveFlash]

also, what i'm amazed about with this leak is that the leaked models appear to be US-bound product versions of the MBP, as the first youtuber showed off the charger brick that came in the box and that was a USA / North American Apple power brick, while Russia just uses what the rest of the Europe uses. (the euro plug or schuko standard).

 

[RALentz]

If true seems like this might be inventory from trial production runs. Those inventories should have been destroyed after random unit testing. Apparently they didn't all make it to the recycling equipment...

-R

 

[KPOM]

Maybe a disgruntled employee of a China based contractor is selling these to Russia? No leaks from the US yet.

Possibly. But it would have to be someone who has access not only to the finished product but the full packaging.

 

[Logamaniac]

I just hope it’s fake because it means we have yet another wait and see whether the m5 will support thunderbolt 5 and promotion monitors if it’s not.