Macs to Get AI-Focused M4 Chips Starting in Late 2024

[MacRumors]

Apple will begin updating its Mac lineup with M4 chips in late 2024, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. The M4 chip will be focused on improving performance for artificial intelligence capabilities.

Last year, Apple introduced the M3, M3 Pro, and M3 Max chips all at once in October, so it's possible we could see the M4 lineup come during the same time frame. Gurman says that the entire Mac lineup is slated to get the M4 across late 2024 and early 2025.

The iMac, low-end 14-inch MacBook Pro, high-end 14-inch MacBook Pro, 16-inch MacBook Pro, and Mac mini machines will be updated with M4 chips first, followed by the 13-inch and 15-inch MacBook Air models in spring 2025, the Mac Studio in mid-2025, and the Mac Pro later in 2025.

Apple is said to be nearing production of the M4 processor, and it is expected to come in at least three main varieties. Chips are codenamed Donan for the low-end, Brava for the mid-tier, and Hidra for the top-end. The Donan chip will be used in the entry-level MacBook Pro, the MacBook Air machines, and the low-end Mac mini, and the Brava chips will be used in the higher-end MacBook Pro and the higher-end Mac mini.

The Hidra chip is designed for the Mac Pro, which suggests it is an "Ultra" or "Extreme" tier chip. As for the Mac Studio, Apple is testing versions with an unreleased M3-era chip and a variation of the M4 Brava processor that would presumably be higher tier than the M4 Pro and M4 Max "Brava" chips.

M4 versions of the Mac desktops could support as much as 512GB Unified Memory, which would be a marked jump over the current 192GB limit.

The M4 chips will be built on the same 3-nanometer process as the M3 chips, but Apple supplier TSMC will likely use an improved version of the 3nm process for boosts in performance and power efficiency. Apple also plans to add a much improved Neural Engine that has an increased number of cores for AI tasks.

Article Link: Macs to Get AI-Focused M4 Chips Starting in Late 2024

 

[Kylo83]

Will the next MacBook Pro get a redesign it’s had 3 generations with the same look

 

[JohnRckr]

Now it's going to be AI everything because they don't know what else to market :/

 

[Realityck]

Apple will begin updating its Mac lineup with M4 chips in late 2024, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. The M4 chip will be focused on improving performance for artificial intelligence capabilities.

That just sound odd and along the lines that an enhanced neural processor will be that beneficial to cloud based AI working with a iPhone example.

 

[sw1tcher]

M4 versions of the Mac desktops could support as much as 512GB Unified Memory, which would be a marked jump over the current 192GB limit,...

but the iMac and Mac mini will still start with 8GB memory

 

[hovscorpion12]

Well. RAM fans will be happy they're getting 512GB. The 1.5 TB+ fans will still cry it's not enough.

Funny thing is, a top spec'd consumer grade PC [Non-Workstation] tops at 256GB of DDR5 RAM support.

 

[statler]

Does this mean we may be getting a big screen iMac at long last?

 

[Anaxarxes]

Will the next MacBook Pro get a redesign it’s had 3 generations with the same look

Why? Why would a sturdy, well designed enclosure needs to be replaced after just 3 years?

 

[gpat]

M4 is going to be the first compelling upgrade since M1, regardless of AI.

 

[mysticmanix]

So probably pros in November, rest of the stuff next March

 

[Kylo83]

Why? Why would a sturdy, well designed enclosure needs to be replaced after just 3 years?

Because my M1 Max has the ugly notch which to this day I hate and the webcam isn’t even that good so they can change it

 

[bakerzdosen]

Well, AI is definitely the buzzword du jour, but unfortunately it needs AI software to go along with it.

We’ll see how that goes. A revamped Siri running locally definitely has the potential to be an intriguing proposition. However I’m starting to think the hardware will be ahead of the software for a while yet - and that Apple will be relying on 3rd parties for their AI implementations almost exclusively.

I just haven’t seen a cohesive presentation of how all of this fits together and will benefit your average user.

 

[dannyyankou]

Will the next MacBook Pro get a redesign it’s had 3 generations with the same look

If it ain't broke, don't fix it. No need in change just for change sake.

 

[JPack]

M4 is going to be the first compelling upgrade since M1, regardless of AI.

People said that about M3. We're still up against process node limitations and transistors are barely shrinking. N3E is nearly equivalent in performance to N3B, but with better yields.

 

[lenningj]

I wish the mac minis were included in the 1st wave of new chip released products ;/

 

[Realityck]

Now it's going to be AI everything because they don't know what else to market :/

I'll be glad when WWDC 2024 comes around so we can be more reality based with Apple able to show and tell us what they been up to with AI usage for MacOS.

 

[midkay]

Super exciting, this sounds great!

 

[Prof.]

Will the next MacBook Pro get a redesign it’s had 3 generations with the same look

Why do they need to be redesigned? Apple’s design team really hit it out of the park with the current iPad & MacBook design. The industrial look is really proving to be timeless. If anything, maybe they could shave a few millimeters off the thickness.

 

[dannyyankou]

Because my M1 Max has the ugly notch which to this day I hate and the webcam isn’t even that good so they can change it

Man, that notch on the MacBooks is underrated. It allows the entire status bar to be pushed up next to the webcam, giving you more screen space below.

 

[sw1tcher]

Because my M1 Max has the ugly notch which to this day I hate and the webcam isn’t even that good so they can change it

Like with iPhones, all MacBooks will be getting Dynamic Island

 

[hoorayforhollywood]

I've always been a bit of a bit fearful of AI and so have my head in the sand a bit but - can anyone with chip knowledge explain how a chip enhances AI? I thought it was all done on request and return by supercomputers guzzling water? I also have no idea what 'neural engines' on a chip do. Is enhanced AI different to that? If someone could help an old man out here?

 

[knightsabre7]

I can has OLED MacBook Pro please? 🙏

 

[antiprotest]

Apple is so behind on AI. It's even looking like they are getting more behind and not even catching up. People keep saying Apple is often late but better, as if that is some sort of vindication. But that's not even true -- Apple does not always come up with something better. But what I want is for Apple to be consistently earlier and better.

 

[Kylo83]

If it ain't broke, don't fix it. No need in change just for change sake.

It is broke tho a huge cut out on my screen I use for work is very annoying

 

[TheOldChevy]

What does AI-optimized mean ? Faster memory access ? more processing cores ? new intercores communication channels ? different cores ? less floating point, more fixed point processing power ?