All-new Macs expected for next week

Apple’s Senior Vice President Greg Joswiak has announced a week chock-a-block with new products. Only, they won’t be presented at an event, but probably in stages via press releases. There are likely to be various Macs with new M4 chips among them. In this article, you’ll find an up-to-date summary of the rumours and leaks. As always, none of them have been confirmed by Apple.

M4, M4 Pro and M4 Max MacBook Pro

Apple’s high-end laptops are expected to receive «only» new chips for the third time in a row, namely the M4, M4 Pro and M4 Max. Few details are known so far, indicating that the basic architecture of the chips shouldn’t change. The M4 is already available in the iPad Pro. Like its predecessor, the M4 Pro will probably have up to 12 CPU and 18 GPU cores. The M4 Max should have up to 16 CPU and 40 GPU cores. Here’s an overview of all the data for the M4 and the old M3 chips:

Even if the number of cores remains the same, the 3-nanometre process from the second generation (N3E) should ensure progress through higher clock frequencies and greater efficiency. The normal M4 is significantly faster in the iPad Pro than the M3 – in both CPU and GPU benchmarks.

The RAM in the base model could make headlines: the M4 MacBook will allegedly finally get at least 16 gigabytes (GB) of unified memory. This is indicated, among other things, by an unboxing video of a leaked device. The previous minimum of 8 GB has been the subject of much criticism in the past. It’s no longer seen as up to date – especially in a Pro laptop. Progress has also been made in supporting external displays. The M3 only allows one, the M4 will apparently double this to two.

According to analysts Ming-Chi Kuo and Ross Young, the MacBook Pro won’t get a new design or a new display until 2026. Either in spring, if Apple delays the M5 generation until then, or at the end of 2026 with the M6 generation. Allegedly, the casing will be thinner by then at the latest, and outstanding Tandem OLED technology from the iPad Pro will be introduced.

M4 and M4 Pro Mac Mini

According to Apple analyst Marc Gurman, the cheapest Mac will get a comprehensive redesign this year. The M4 Mac Mini is set to become Apple’s smallest computer ever. Apparently, its shrunken size is based on the Apple TV box.

Finally! The current housing dates back to 2010 and doesn’t make use of the advantages of the efficient M chips. The M2 Mac Mini is even half empty inside, since the SoCs are smaller than the old Intel architecture. They also generate less heat, which allows for more compact housing without compromising on performance.

One disadvantage of the redesign, according to Gurman, is that Apple has completely dispensed with USB-A ports. There should be five USB-C sockets, two of which will be on the front. The model with the M4 Pro chip will probably be more compatible with Thunderbolt 4 than the budget version.

The normal M4 is also a significant upgrade over the current M2 Mac Mini – especially when it comes to the Neural Engine. It plays an important role for the upcoming Apple Intelligence. And, as with the MacBook Pro, the Californian company is increasing the RAM minimum from 8 to 16 GB. It isn’t yet clear whether this’ll make the basic Mini more expensive.

M4 iMac

If rumours are to be believed, the iMac will also get the new M4 chip and a minimum of 16 GB of RAM. This makes sense, since Apple wants to eliminate the M3 from its line-up as quickly as possible. The old SoC is based on the N3B manufacturing process, which is inefficient and therefore expensive.

No design changes are expected for the iMac. The only open question is if the Magic Keyboard, Magic Trackpad and Magic Mouse will finally get USB-C or remain the last remnants of the Lightning port generation?

As is so often the case, these announcements come shortly before Apple publishes its quarterly figures. The earnings call is scheduled for 31 October, and new products on the horizon are usually well received by investors. Remaining Macs probably won’t receive an upgrade until next year. The M4 MacBook Air should arrive in the spring, the M4 Max and M4 Ultra Mac Studio in the summer. A new Mac Pro is supposedly also in the starting blocks for then.