Gurman: M4 MacBook Pro, Mac Mini, and iMac Coming This Year

[ApplesAreSweet&Sour]

Still waiting for my dream machine - iMac Pro 32"/6K (& hopefully with ProMotion and FaceID)

I have that dream too.

But seeing how well MacBooks Air and Pro have repeatedly sold for the last 3-4 years, I see Apple putting all its efforts towards those long before doing anything new with iMac.

It's not impossible that we'll get a big change for iMac.

But considering which Macs outsell the other models by far(!), it's far more likely that Apple would make big changes and upgrades to MacBooks Pro and/or Air.

I see a new, cheaper desktop display and big upgrades coming to MacBooks before any of the other Macs see any big changes.

Apple wants us to buy Mac Studio or MacBooks Pro + Studio Displays and not Pro iMacs, it seems. If it wasn't so then we'd have gotten a big iMac much sooner.

 

[ducknalddon]

Not really because there's OpenCore Legacy Patcher which will be available. You can install Sonoma on a 2012 Mini or MacBook with Legacy Patcher.

That won't work when the whole OS is only compiled for Apple Silicon.

 

[nt5672]

Pretty astonishing considering Apple is one of the most successful tech companies in the world, with a billion active customers, 164,000 employees, and manufacturing/selling 600,000 iPhones per day every day of the year (on the average).

Nokia was that best in the cellphone world also, until management screwed up and quit innovating. Now it is essentially gone. Foresight takes thought and an understanding of history.

 

[chucker23n1]

The studio and Pro (which you can get two laptops for its price), SHOULD NOT be outperformed by next year’s laptop chip. That is the ridiculous part.

You may find it "ridiculous", but it's going to be the norm. Investment mainly goes into mobile chips, since that's where the volume is. Intel has also for a while now been on a cycle where their high-end CPUs get upgraded last. As a current example, desktop only got "Raptor Lake Refresh", whereas mobile got the entirely new Meteor Lake.

 

[chucker23n1]

Nokia was that best in the cellphone world also, until management screwed up and quit innovating. Now it is essentially gone. Foresight takes thought and an understanding of history.

This is true, but I see no indication right now that there's a potential competitor who has the money and inclination to leapfrog Apple.

As examples, Snapdragon X only catches up with roughly M2/M3. Intel's upcoming Lunar Lake seems to offer figures similar to M2. AMD isn't even worth checking.

 

[Populus]

Yeah, the A15/M2 and A16* generations had me a bit worried.

It's possible that Apple had other priorities post-M1 launch. We'll see how M5 does…

*) there's no corresponding M chip. Given that M chips are released less frequently, at least so far, they have to. skip an A generation now and then.

I have the feeling the A18 will come with a notable performance increase, and it might also come in the N3P process node, so maybe we get a pleasant surprise with the M5.

 

[Mac Fly (film)]

They already have that, the not so pro MacBook Pro with M3. It’s a MacBook Air dressed up as a MacBook Pro.

That it is not.

 

[Mac Fly (film)]

Still waiting for my dream machine - iMac Pro 32"/6K (& hopefully with ProMotion and FaceID)

In time. Should be cheap 😬

 

[Jumpthesnark]

I wonder if they will shrink the Mini or even stuff it inside a keyboard. It's had that same profile for a long time now.

I don't want to spill coffee on my keyboard AND computer simultaneously.

More importantly, I don't want a nest of cables coming out of my keyboard. I connect my Mini to card readers and external hard drives. All of that coming out of the back of a keyboard would be a mess.

 

[nt5672]

This is true, but I see no indication right now that there's a potential competitor who has the money and inclination to leapfrog Apple.

As examples, Snapdragon X only catches up with roughly M2/M3. Intel's upcoming Lunar Lake seems to offer figures similar to M2. AMD isn't even worth checking.

I never said Apple was doomed. I implied that with Cook at the helm they are not innovating and risk the same fate as, for example, nokia. I have no idea of the time frame, but I see the symptoms and would hate for Apple to fall in the same way.

 

[Mac Fly (film)]

My nearly maxed out M1 iMac is still chugging along quite well day to day. The only thing that really slows it down are complex CAD-generated PDFs I have to deal with sometimes. I'm not sure an M3 or M4 would handle them better, but I'm eyeing that specific use case as an excuse to upgrade

Only upgrade if you need to.

 

[Mac Fly (film)]

They actually do make one as it turns out -- it's called a MacBook Pro.

That's chonky.

 

[Mac Fly (film)]

I'm on M1 Max and I won't be upgrading until the laptop's form factor actually changes. A chip upgrade still doesn't seem worth it to me.

No need when you have such a fast chip. Good call.

 

[Mac Fly (film)]

Apple is successful at pushing those who want that to get MacBooks Pro. So that's not happening.

To be fair none of us have any idea what's happening to Mac laptops in the next 5 years. I'll continue to give feedback to Apple and we'll see. I was guaranteed by Macrumors members that MBP wasn't getting ports and MagSafe back again. That story is written.

 

[GuruZac]

Wonder if the MBPs get a design refresh? I love the current design and Space Black color of my M3 Pro 14” but I wonder if they make them any thinner? Perhaps given they have fans, going a lot thinner while retaining performance may not be doable yet.

 

[klasma]

Well I think it's obvious, who would buy NOW at the same launch price a PC that in a few weeks could already be obsolete?

By “PC”, you mean a Mac?

 

[Jumpthesnark]

I would really love to see the long rumored 32" iMac Pro come out. That would be a dream machine even though the price would be ridiculous.

Would love to see a thinner MacBook Pro too.

Not so much long-rumored. More like long wished-for. And long used as clickbait by YouTubers.

 

[ric22]

That it is not.

Well... it kinda is. Like the Air it still has the guts of an iPad Pro.

 

[GuruZac]

OLED MBP? 13" dispay is already here, 14" and 16" should be doable

Given how amazing the panel of the MBP miniLED is (which comparing side by side with my M1 12.9 iPad Pro) is much better. Much less blooming. Going to be hard to beat the current display although I’m sure Apple OLED on a MacBook Pro would be stunning.

 

[keldorn]

Hopefully the "redesign" includes a base RAM increase.

 

[citysnaps]

Nokia was that best in the cellphone world also, until management screwed up and quit innovating. Now it is essentially gone. Foresight takes thought and an understanding of history.

Yep and Apple continues to excel under Cook's leadership. The numbers say a lot. As do Apple's 1 billion active and repeat customers.

Of course many will chant the sky is falling, the sky is falling simply because they don't like Cook, even criticizing how he dresses, off all things. Or the lifestyle he chooses. That's been going on for a couple of decades. And Apple continues to excel, snagging loads of new customers every day who purchase Apple products.

But, but, but... you never know what the future brings! Planet Earth could stop rotating tomorrow! So easy to say, when one has nothing to back it up. Other than personal opinion that Cook has no idea what he's doing. And of course, not liking Cook.

 

[MacCheetah3]

I would really love to see the long rumored 32" iMac Pro come out. That would be a dream machine even though the price would be ridiculous.

If it would ever see the light of day, be ready for a $3.999 base price.

 

[DonkeyKongGarlic]

Apple will update its MacBook Pro, Mac mini, and iMac lines with its latest M4 chip later this year, according to Bloomberg reporter Mark Gurman.

Writing in his latest Power On newsletter, Gurman said Apple is preparing to upgrade every Mac to the new Apple silicon processor generation. Following the launch of the M4 iPad Pro in May, Apple will continue the M4 transition with the above mentioned Macs, and complete it with updates for the MacBook Air, Mac Pro, and Mac Studio in 2025.

One interesting tidbit from Gurman's latest report is that while the M4 overhaul is mostly focused on making Apple's machines more powerful – with the M4 processor's enhanced neural engine for handling AI tasks a standout upgrade – there is "at least one Mac model that will get more dramatic changes."

Apple has said the ultra-thin 2024 iPad Pro serves as a model for its upcoming design philosophy, with the company planning to offer "the thinnest and lightest products" in each category across the tech industry. Gurman previously reported that Apple is working on a thinner version of the MacBook Pro.

Whether these dramatic changes Gurman foresees relate to the design of Apple's Macs or the addition of a rumored new feature such as Face ID is unknown at this point. "Stay tuned," Gurman added.

Article Link: Gurman: M4 MacBook Pro, Mac Mini, and iMac Coming This Year

Where is our M-Series iPad Mini (PRO) ???

 

[Ethosik]

Deep breaths.

You might not have recognized this yet, but you’re in the minority. Most people don’t need max power AND max IO. Therefore it’s not updated regularly.

To be clear, I am with you here. I also want a Max chip Studio update. But I am also in the minority. It’s important to remember that a for-profit company is not ridiculous because they don’t prioritize the niche use cases.

I’d also challenge anyone on “there is not a computer for me”. There is. There is no software incapable of running on current systems. Otherwise the software wouldn’t exist. Therefore, a computer for you does exist. It just might be a few seconds/minutes slower at rendering, exporting, publishing, or doing whatever it is that you ask.

It’s also ironic how M2s and M3s are suddenly so obsolete and incapable when the rumors of an M4 are out.

Well. PCs are the alternative. If Apple doesn’t step up they will NEVER gain the marketshare.

 

[Ethosik]

You may find it "ridiculous", but it's going to be the norm. Investment mainly goes into mobile chips, since that's where the volume is. Intel has also for a while now been on a cycle where their high-end CPUs get upgraded last. As a current example, desktop only got "Raptor Lake Refresh", whereas mobile got the entirely new Meteor Lake.

Intel’s top end chip has NEVER been beaten by a laptop one. Never. It doesn’t matter if mobile gets theirs first. It doesn’t blow away an i9 desktop chip.

The difference in certain workloads between M2 Ultra and M3 Max is very significant. This is the issue. The best of the best Apple system is beaten VERY QUICKLY. This doesn’t happen with Intel. Even if it did, that doesn’t make it right.