Apple Reportedly 'Just Started Formal Development' of M4 MacBook Pro

[ric22]

I can buy that maybe for the Air*, but OTOH with the Air, thinness plays into it even more. For the 14/16 Pro chassis, I find it unrealistic that they'd arguably overshoot on aspects like the display and speakers, butt hen skimp on the webcam.

*) it does, for instance, have a mediocre display by today's standards

Apple have never used industry leading webcams in the Macs have they? I've used a lot of MacBooks in my time, and since the outset they've always surprised me that they were, well, junk. Some, like that M1 Air webcam I mentioned, would have been junk quality even a decade prior!

Edit: My MacBook Pro 16 has an ok webcam, but it's no better than my ancient iPad. I think they started to care a smidge since Covid and homeworking...

 

[TechNutt]

14-inch M1 Pro here. Previously 2002 iBook (white plastic keys), 2006 MacBook Pro (aluminum-colored keys), 2010 MacBook Pro (chiclet keys), 2014 MacBook Pro (same keyboard, I think).

Off the path question, but I noticed an ‘06 MBP in the devices listed. I have one, as well, but have zero clue what to do with it?! It’s been in the box it came in for several years and still works fine (I imagine). Battery is dead, of course. Probably time for an upgrade 😂, but first I want to see if I can salvage anything off this archaic paperweight, if possible. Maybe the screen or even the keyboard?? 😛

Any suggestions?

 

[chucker23n1]

Apple have never used industry leading webcams in the Macs have they? I've used a lot of MacBooks in my time, and since the outset they've always surprised me that they were, well, junk. Some, like that M1 Air webcam I mentioned, would have been junk quality even a decade prior!

I dunno. The most recent comparison I'm aware of was Joanna Stern's video from 2020, before the ARM transition. That didn't seem to paint Apple as the outlier.

Edit: My MacBook Pro 16 has an ok webcam, but it's no better than my ancient iPad.

But your iPad has a much, much thicker bezel.

 

[ric22]

I dunno. The most recent comparison I'm aware of was Joanna Stern's video from 2020, before the ARM transition. That didn't seem to paint Apple as the outlier.

But your iPad has a much, much thicker bezel.

In work video calls it was usually clear who used Macs and who used Windows, as the high end Windows laptops we used always had nicer video quality. I do not recall if it was just because MacBooks had thinner lids.

The camera modules in iPads and iPhones hardly fill up the space front to back. I've disassembled some and it's remarkable how thin they made some of them. But Apple invest more money into iPad and iPhone camera modules, and cheap out on Macs, especially as a proportion of the total build cost.

 

[pksv]

I like the keyboard. I've owned a lot of MBPs, and this is one of the good ones. Never owned one of the famous old ThinkPads with the fantastic keyboards, nor one of the gaming laptops with a low profile mechanical keyboard, so either or both could be better...

14-inch M1 Pro here. Previously 2002 iBook (white plastic keys), 2006 MacBook Pro (aluminum-colored keys), 2010 MacBook Pro (chiclet keys), 2014 MacBook Pro (same keyboard, I think).

I'd say it takes some getting used to. They are flatter/thinner than the 2008+ unibody laptop keyboard. But, not bad. I get about 100 wpm on it. I could do ~120 on the previous one, but perhaps that'll improve over time.

Ok, thank you guys for your input.
I had MBP 13" 2012, MBP 15" 2013, Air M1 2020, and MBP 14". So far for me (managed to avoid the butterfly one) MBP 14" keyboard is the worst of them all for me. On paper, it looks good but the typing experience is just not pleasurable and not confidence-inducing. There is some strange lightness, empty space underneath the keyboard deck and and edge on keycaps that all together cause me a lot of errors and the whole typing unpleasant.
The best keyboard was that on Air M1, I also tried that on M2 15" and it's also miles better than that on MBP 14 and 16". I may be in the minority but I've seen a few reviews on YouTube that share my opinion. To be honest, the keyboard makes me want to switch to the Air 15, even though I like everything else about the Pro's. I hope in MBP M4 or M5 they will switch to the keyboard from Air 15.

 

[ric22]

Ok, thank you guys for your input.
I had MBP 13" 2012, MBP 15" 2013, Air M1 2020, and MBP 14". So far for me (managed to avoid the butterfly one) MBP 14" keyboard is the worst of them all for me. On paper, it looks good but the typing experience is just not pleasurable and not confidence-inducing. There is some strange lightness, empty space underneath the keyboard deck and and edge on keycaps that all together cause me a lot of errors and the whole typing unpleasant.
The best keyboard was that on Air M1, I also tried that on M2 15" and it's also miles better than that on MBP 14 and 16". I may be in the minority but I've seen a few reviews on YouTube that share my opinion. To be honest, the keyboard makes me want to switch to the Air 15, even though I like everything else about the Pro's. I hope in MBP M4 or M5 they will switch to the keyboard from Air 15.

I also prefer the M1 Air to the recent Pro series, and not just because the black inlay is so ugly. There isn't a big difference in feel for me, but the M1 Air is nicer.

 

[pksv]

I also prefer the M1 Air to the recent Pro series, and not just because the black inlay is so ugly. There isn't a big difference in feel for me, but the M1 Air is nicer.

Design preference-wise, I prefer MBP but in the end, it's irrelevant - typing feel above all.
It is kinda strange that Air is better - MBP should have everything the best.

 

[nawnp]

Article is off on the M3 release, the M3 MacBook Pros & iMac came out December 2023. Even if I'm waiting out M4 due to the odd release of the M3s, I've accepted spring 2025 is most likely release. We haven't even seen the M3 Ultras yet (likely updated at WWDC).

 

[pksv]

Article is off on the M3 release, the M3 MacBook Pros & iMac came out December 2023. Even if I'm waiting out M4 due to the odd release of the M3s, I've accepted spring 2025 is most likely release. We haven't even seen the M3 Ultras yet (likely updated at WWDC).

M3 Macbooks were announced in November 2023. MBPs are on the yearly cycle, M2's were delayed 2 months (proven by an older system installed and "Late 2022" monicker)

 

[roundski]

M3 macbook pro shipped in November 23, but were stockpiled by apple since July 23

M3 MacBook Pro Ships With macOS Ventura, Can't Yet Be Updated to macOS Sonoma Over the Air

Apple's new entry-level 14-inch MacBook Pro with the standard M3 chip began arriving to customers over the past day, and some early adopters have discovered that the laptop cannot currently be updated to macOS Sonoma over the air. As noted by @aaronp613 on X, at least some 14-inch MacBook Pro...

forums.macrumors.com

 

[nawnp]

M3 Macbooks were announced in November 2023. MBPs are on the yearly cycle, M2's were delayed 2 months (proven by an older system installed and "Late 2022" monicker)

You're right it was November, not December. I think the bigger indicator is when each M series chip comes out as the Pro and Max variants are usually a few months later. M1 was November of 2020. M2 was June of 2022, and now M3 in Novemeber of 2023, that's putting them at 16ish months on average, well into early 2025, and that's the chip itself, it was an odd cycle they released the MacBook Pros first, no guarantee the next time. Add onto this after the latest rumors indicate the OLED MacBook Pro refresh is running behind and years away(so no rush on refreshes in the meantime).