When to Expect the First Macs With the M4 Chip to Launch

[Tyler O'Bannon]

I wonder when we will see Tandem OLED MacBook Pros

That is the BIG question. We've had M1, M2, and M3 chips since redesign. Fingers crossed that M4 gen gets Tandem OLED display update. Form factor is great, so that would be a great mid-cycle update.

Apple Studio Display 2nd Gen with Tandem OLED? That's when I'll buy one.

 

[Dulcimer]

I have a hard time believing that they’ll wait an entire year to put M4 in MBA, Mac Studio, and Mac Pro. At that point, might as well add some more arch tweaks and N3P to make it an M5.

 

[Tyler O'Bannon]

It looks like Apple will go all-in with M4, hopefully updating all its Macs with it soon. M3 looks like it was a stop gap. I’m in the market for a Mac Studio. It was released in 2022, updated with M2 in 2023 so it’s possible that the M4 version will be out this year

Big question right now is will there be an M3 Ultra, or will we go a few more months and get an M4 Ultra?

Yields are lower on new process for M4 so I'm genuinely curious what Apple will do.

 

[krell100]

Not releasing M4 Studio and Pro soon would be very odd. Letting the products that need the performance the most languish on M2 is going to kill sales. At this point are low Mac desktop sales the chicken or the egg?

 

[CptnJustc]

M4 Studio as soon as possible, please. I know it was just recently updated but... I love the Studio so much. Give me all the Studios.

Sadly, its excellence will probably mean they'll feel the least necessity to update it quickly.

 

[NachoNoir]

IMHO, it's hard to believe that Apple is going to keep the Studio and Pro on M2 for another year. That would be killing them. And also, I don't think they will upgrade them to M3-class SoCs once the M4 has been released.

On the other hand, I think it makes a lot of sense to release M4 Max and Ultra (or something similar) for the Studio/Pro at WWDC. Just like the M4 on the iPad Pro, the Studio/Pro are much less demanded (and thus, Apple is much more likely to meet the demand for Max/Ultra chips), and it would once and for all start fixing the release cycle for Macs in general:

- New tech gets introduced on a mobile, low demand platform (just like M4 on iPad Pro)
- Pro desktop machines get it next, not much later, in Max/Ultra flavors (Mac Studio/Pro, maybe Mini with the Mn Pro variant).
- Pro laptops are next in line a few months later, in Max/Pro/regular forms (MBPro), together with the Mini if not released earlier.
- Regular, mass produced laptops and desktops are last (MBAirs, iMacs), when production capability is much higher.

Ideally, everything would be presented in even less events (maybe one for Pro and one for consumer machines?), but at least this timeline would make more sense than what we've had up to now, where new generation Mn chips that perform close to the Pro/Max versions of the previous generation are released on non-pro machines six months earlier than in pro machines (the case of M2).

Apple started fixing this with the M3 launch, where Pro laptops (and the long-forgotten iMac) were released first, then consumer laptops months later. Maybe they will end turning things around with the M4.

 

[Ursadorable]

Apple doesn’t care about the iMac anymore 🥲

The Mac Mini wants a word with you.

 

[Gloor]

I think he is off this time. iPad which doesn't need to power is updated with M4 and the Studio and Pro that need the power the most would be neglected for another year? How would Apple justify that in their mind? They would literally show the finger to all the professionals who actually need the power.

 

[colinsky]

Apple doesn’t care about the iMac anymore 🥲

Clearly. Skipped the m2 chip, and you can't get a Pro or Max chip in the iMac, and memory is limited to 24gb.

 

[gaximus]

I predict the iPhone 16 will be launched in 2024, probably. Now pay me money.

Just in case it's not it could be released in 2025, and possible under another name.

 

[Crom!]

So the ipad m4 is basically a Macbook air with an m4 but with a touch screen minus a keyboard? Is that about right?

 

[Rychiar]

Screw 2025. I was expeciting an M4 Mac Studio this summer now that these IPads launched. How long can they keep their power machines on M2? And i can’t see M3 even being used at this point. I sure don’t want one.

 

[newyorksole]

More interested in when to expect a new display

I’m going to get a 16” MBP and think I may just wait for M4 (to match my M4 iPad Pro) and hopefully by that time there will be some solid display rumors.

if the display isn’t out then I may just get the current one and sell when the new one comes out depending on the features.

 

[Rychiar]

So the ipad m4 is basically a Macbook air with an m4 but with a touch screen minus a keyboard? Is that about right?

Like every other iPad Pro for years now?

 

[AF_APPLETALK]

Weird marketing. Some machines are still running M2 and haven't been touched in a good while.

 

[MallardDuck]

They have to move the dates up - the only folks buying Mac's today are the ones that can't wait.

 

[kemal]

The M2 Pro Mac mini is such a good deal Apple have to mess it up somehow. $1300 for 8/256 for sure. </sarcasm>

 

[ignatius345]

My 2012 MBP is hanging on by a thread. October can't get here fast enough...

Just FYI, even an M1 Air would feel like an absolute rocket compared to that thing.

 

[bradman83]

unlikely
theres a reason they chose model with relatively low sales as M4 starter
they probably want as much N3E capacity reserved for the iPhone chips, before they ramp up the remaining M4 chips

So wouldn't the Mac Studio and Mac Pro make sense for the next models to upgrade? Neither of them are hot sellers like the MacBook Airs and Pros are (and they probably ship in lower volumes than iPad Pros).

 

[Dan From Canada]

With the 5k Samsung monitor now going on sale, I will probably abandon my hope for an iMac and get a studio or mini with the M4

 

[cocoua]

Releasing the Mac Studio M4 Ultra at the end of 2025 would be so disappointin for Pro Mac users.
I'd go for a Mac mini M4 pro if it released 6-10 months earlier then the Mac Studio, I'd invest in a nice hub for ports.
I'm not paying for a MBP16" full specs and no waiting for "the latest and greatest Mac" that arrive the last one, so the less important for it manufacturer.

So much unrespectful for the ones really need all power new tch can delivery. But they choose consistently to release first the bring-me-money devices. The 80% of people buying mac minis doesnt know the diference between M1 and N9 and wont tell it even if they are working 3 months with each device.

But people willing to pay the latest because we need it, to deliver the best quality content to your screens, working on with this super computer demanding tasks , we really need to save some minutes a day, few hours a month, to joy our children playing ball outsie, we are the latest in the line.

Cant wait for Qualcomm reaching Apple, Mac users need that competition so bad.

 

[ignatius345]

Apple doesn’t care about the iMac anymore 🥲

They cared about it enough to give it the M3 not too long ago.

I assume they update the machines that sell the most more frequently. Willing to bet iMacs make up a pretty tiny slice of the pie compared to MacBooks of various kinds.

I'd like M4 iMacs and bigger Pro/Max iMacs myself, but they've clearly decided the higher spec desktops will be Minis and Studios (and I guess Mac Pros?) and the iMac is going to be a general all-arounder. The logic does kind of make sense: people with more specialized/demanding workflows are probably gonna want to spec their own display and upgrade it on a separate timeline than the CPU.

 

[gagaliya]

Mac mini m pro upgraded to 1 tb and 32 gb ram (what I need) basically cost almost the same as mac studio but with m pro instead of m max, and worse thermal management. It’s such a horrible deal.

Mac mini is only good deal if you buy the cheap base model and don’t do any add ons.

i wish/hope they give us mac studio first with m4 max. My 2012 iMac is literally dying by the day, the screen has faint lines and getting worse, fan going full throttle even doing basic stuff like opening photos…I need a new mac!

 

[cocoua]

So wouldn't the Mac Studio and Mac Pro make sense for the next models to upgrade? Neither of them are hot sellers like the MacBook Airs and Pros are (and they probably ship in lower volumes than iPad Pros).

Mac Studio and Mac Pro are a niche pretty well assured they are going to buy the product no matter how late it is on the market, so Apple knows that releasing them 1 year after the first M4 wont affect sales too much, more even, if this strategy makes them selling much more Macbook Pro 16 Max, aas this one, would be "the best mac ever" for at least the ext 6 months.

 

[Neil J. Squillante]

The M# chip naming system is very clear but poses a problem from a marketing perspective when Apple cannot completely control the timing. Just as Apple grew impatient with Intel at times, I suspect the same is now true regarding TSMC.