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M4 Macs Are Expected to Launch in This Order Starting Later This Year

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scottrichardson

macrumors 6502a
Jul 10, 2007
701
276
Ulladulla, NSW Australia
wbeasley said:
Does it make sense to be having the Pro and Ultra chips come out to a small audience well after the regular chips?

By the time the Ultra versions arrive, the next gen low end consumer chips are almost ready and the difference in benchmarks is reduced.
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This. You wait for an M2 Ultra to finally be released, only to have the M3 (base) have better single-core performance, which is STILL, to this day, the key determining factor in how snappy and responsive a system feels most of the time.
 
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sideshowuniqueuser

sideshowuniqueuser

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Mar 20, 2016
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MacFin said:
I think Apple could really refine their strategy for releasing chips. Launching their most advanced chips first would greatly benefit them, pleasing professional users and setting a high-performance standard right from the start. For example, I'm considering the upcoming Mac Studio with an M3 chip, but if it launches at WWDC and is soon overshadowed by the M4 in the fall, I'll feel like I purchased outdated technology right off the bat.

The incremental upgrades between generations aren't monumental, but it's disheartening to see the Max series chips make their debut in the MacBook Pros more than six months before they reach the Studio line. This timing feels like Studio buyers are just getting the last batch of the Max chips before the next generation starts rolling out. By flipping this release order—contrary to industry predictions like those from Gurman—Apple could motivate more customers to opt for their top-tier products. I'd be thrilled if Apple introduced the M4 Max in the Mac Studio this summer instead of the M3 Max, allowing them to start releasing chips in the opposite order.

Regular users may not be as concerned about chip specifics, but those investing $3000 or more in a Mac Studio deserve to enjoy top-notch performance for more than just a few months. Honestly, it's exhausting to see Mac Studio enthusiasts consistently last in line for the latest advancements when there’s no real barrier to Apple launching them sooner.
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Yep, if chip fab space is the limitation, then start with the ultra chip first (with either all models that use them released at once, or if there isn't enough chips, then Mac Pro first, then Ultra, then MBP), then Max, then Pro, then base.

And this from someone who has, and most likely only ever going to have, a 16" M Pro MBP.

I find it bizarre economics to have a M3 Max out, which is in the ballpark of performance to the M2 Ultra in some ways, whilst Studio and Pro owners sit waiting for the M3 Ultra until the M4 is almost out.

However, I think Apple have also woken up to this, thus the release of the M3/Pro/Max chips all at once. rumours of the Ultra chips being a complete redesign, instead of being two joined Max chips, may result in the M3 Ultra being skipped, and the M4 Ultra being released first off the blocks. Wait and see.
 
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T

TechnoMonk

macrumors 68000
Oct 15, 2022
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sideshowuniqueuser said:
Yep, if chip fab space is the limitation, then start with the ultra chip first (with either all models that use them released at once, or if there isn't enough chips, then Mac Pro first, then Ultra, then MBP), then Max, then Pro, then base.

And this from someone who has, and most likely only ever going to have, a 16" M Pro MBP.

I find it bizarre economics to have a M3 Max out, which is in the ballpark of performance to the M2 Ultra in some ways, whilst Studio and Pro owners sit waiting for the M3 Ultra until the M4 is almost out.

However, I think Apple have also woken up to this, thus the release of the M3/Pro/Max chips all at once. rumours of the Ultra chips being a complete redesign, instead of being two joined Max chips, may result in the M3 Ultra being skipped, and the M4 Ultra being released first off the blocks. Wait and see.
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The estimates put Mac Studio share at 1%, and Mac Mini at 1% of over all mac revenue. MBP is estimated to be the biggest contributor to Mac lineup. It makes sense to have your biggest revenue generators to go along with iPhone, especially when supply is constrained. Apple doesn’t need an ultra chip every year, they could probably do it every two years.
 
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sideshowuniqueuser

sideshowuniqueuser

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Mar 20, 2016
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TechnoMonk said:
The estimates put Mac Studio share at 1%, and Mac Mini at 1% of over all mac revenue. MBP is estimated to be the biggest contributor to Mac lineup. It makes sense to have your biggest revenue generators to go along with iPhone, especially when supply is constrained. Apple doesn’t need an ultra chip every year, they could probably do it every two years.
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Sure, but if you are going to bother releasing these high end Macs at all, then there is no point if their performance lags behind cheaper machines so badly.

The thing with high end machines, is they are a flagship. They aren't the big revenue earners, they might even be loss leaders, but they give you bragging rights and credibility. They are something for all Apple users to look up to. So make them the very best.

I am highly unlikely to ever need, nor own, a Mac Pro, but felt an embarrassing cringe when they released the M1 Mac Pro. What a lame machine after what the brilliant Intel Mac Pro offered in terms of RAM and expansion options.

Make the Mac Pro Great Again.
 
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TechnoMonk

macrumors 68000
Oct 15, 2022
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sideshowuniqueuser said:
Sure, but if you are going to bother releasing these high end Macs at all, then there is no point if their performance lags behind cheaper machines so badly.

The thing with high end machines, is they are a flagship. They aren't the big revenue earners, they might even be loss leaders, but they give you bragging rights and credibility. They are something for all Apple users to look up to. So make them the very best.

I am highly unlikely to ever need, nor own, a Mac Pro, but felt an embarrassing cringe when they released the M1 Mac Pro. What a lame machine after what the brilliant Intel Mac Pro offered in terms of RAM and expansion options.

Make the Mac Pro Great Again.
Click to expand...
M2 Ultra outside of single core performance beats M3 max comfortably in memory bandwidth, cores, More RAM. As some one who buys MBP 16, I would love to see Apple release MBP with Pro/Max lineup, and niche products later.
When did Apple release M1 Mac Pro? It has an M2 Ultra which is most powerful Apple silicon processor. I wouldn’t even consider 2019 Mac Pro worth the money. My last Mac Pro was 2012, I may consider it in future if Apple gets 512 GB unified memory.
 
J

Joshuaorange

macrumors member
Nov 22, 2023
81
135
DavidSchaub said:
the 2016 MBPs chassis was absolutely a mess, but it is also gone.

Apple loves a clockwork schedule for the iPhone, because it matters the most, and Apple kinda likes their OSs to be clockwork, but Apple has never consistently shipped other hardware on a clockwork yearly cycle.

"A Mac is never late, nor is it early, it arrives precisely when it means to." :)
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Try hey used to launch new iPods annually.
 
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bousozoku

bousozoku

Moderator emeritus
Jun 25, 2002
15,930
2,146
Lard
Chazz12 said:
Yes please! I would name the 12" the MacBook Air, and the 13/15" just MacBook, though, since it would be in the middle.
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They should probably label the 12 inch, the MacBook Not Coming. It's right behind the iPhone 16 Mini.
 
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Newgoblin49

macrumors member
Feb 29, 2024
59
113
CBlakeston said:
Remember this is Marc ‘nothing launching this month’ Gurman and literally 20 minutes later Apple released M3 MacBook Airs.
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Are you sure about this ? I remember he had clearly said that the MacBook AIR is launching that month on his power on newsletter and it happened to launch the next day ?
 
M

mysticmanix

macrumors member
May 30, 2021
83
123
coffeemilktea said:
Please. 🙏

As someone who's a huge fan of iMacs and does most of my work on one, I really wanted to upgrade my aging Mac, but last year's M3 model was just so underwhelming. Could an M4 iMac actually turn out to be good? I really, really hope so!
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What are you actually expecting to be different on an M4? It will be a minor spec bump just like literally every model except for the Macbook Pro Max chip machines.
 
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RumorConsumer

RumorConsumer

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Jun 16, 2016
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When he says new 14 and 16”, does everyone take that to mean a new body style? Like is this generation done with the M3 variant? I just noticed that particular line says new and none of the other ones say new which makes me think that he is anticipating literally a new model not just a spec bumped version of the one we have.
 
R

roundski

macrumors member
Jul 24, 2002
50
53
Didnt Mark Gurman say Apple was testing an M3 mac mini with 24GB of ram in August 2023!? not sure if its still worth waiting till wwdc for that or just get the M4 mac mini in october 2024!?
 
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D

DavidSchaub

macrumors 6502
Jun 16, 2016
441
493
RumorConsumer said:
When he says new 14 and 16”, does everyone take that to mean a new body style? Like is this generation done with the M3 variant? I just noticed that particular line says new and none of the other ones say new which makes me think that he is anticipating literally a new model not just a spec bumped version of the one we have.
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Usually Apple's laptop chassis last about 5 years.

Even the 2016 chassis, which was hated by all and a pain for Apple, lasted from:
- 2016 to 2021.

The previous runs were from:
- 2012 to 2016,
- 2006 to 2012, and
- 2003 to 2006... roughly.

But either way, I wouldn't expect any notable change until around 2026? Apple might surprise us, but time will tell.
 
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Darren.h

macrumors 6502
Apr 15, 2023
366
614
The M3 is already running at a HOT 4 GHZ up from 3.4 GHZ on the M2.

I wander how HOT the M4 will get when they crank up the GHZ? How else they gonna get it running faster?

Still built on 3nm like the M3.
 
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