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Apple could launch its next generation of in-house processors as early as this year, updating its computing hardware through 2024 and into 2025 with M4 chips - which are expected to offer a big push towards AI capabilities.
Reliable Apple leaker Mark Gurman reports that these potential new Macs would arrive at a ācritical time [because] Mac sales fell 27% in the last fiscal year.ā Gurman suggests that the new in-house silicon is nearing production and that the M4 chip will come in three varieties (unsurprising, given the existence of the M3 Pro and M3 Max chips). He claims that the new chips will be offered across all Mac products, including the Mac Studio and Mac Pro.
The codenames Donan, Brava, and Hidra have been assigned to the three varieties of M4 according to Gurmanās unnamed sources. We also have a potential refresh schedule that suggests the iMac, MacBook Pros, and Mac Mini will be released first with the new chips but no significant design changes, followed by the MacBook Air and Mac Studio later this year. The Mac Pro may have to wait for 2025 for a refresh, but if these rumors are true thatās still a pretty tight turnaround for Apple to meet.
[HEADING=1]Perhaps a bit more time? [/HEADING]
If this is true and Apple is hammering out the kinks before dropping the M4 bomb on us, it would mean a very short life cycle for the M3 chip, considering that the chip only launched with new iMac and MacBook Pro models in October 2023. The M3 MacBook Air launched just last month, so some users might end up frustrated that Apple is forging ahead so soon.
While itās always exciting to see what Apple has in store for us, it does seem like the tech giant is desperate to catch up to the competition to produce AI-focused chips and computers. Weāre all familiar with Appleās strategy of āwatching and waitingā rather than diving right into new emergent tech (like letting the VR industry flounder for years before revealing the Apple Vision Pro), so itās not surprising that the MacBook maker would be late to the AI party. It seems like the wait is over, however, and Apple is ready to show off what its new chip can do.
As for what a newfound focus on hardware-driven AI will look like, thatās anyoneās guess - Gurman hasnāt provided any in-depth details about the M4 chipās microarchitecture, but it seems likely that M4 will feature a neural processing unit (NPU). Thatās a dedicated processor for handling AI-related workloads, which helps reduce the strain on the chipās CPU and GPU. Appleās key competitors like Intel and AMD (and most recently Qualcommās Snapdragon X Elite chip) are all sporting shiny new NPUs, so it makes sense that Apple would want to catch up.
Again, we have no real confirmation that any of this is true, even if Gurman is a very reliable source of information. So we suggest you donāt get your hopes up too soon. Personally, I hope it isnāt true. Not to sound like a tree-hugging spoilsport, but we just got new devices - why should we waste precious resources to shell out more so soon after the arrival of the M3 chips?
I understand the need for technology to progress - itās inevitable. I just hope we get a little more time with what we have, so we can actually grow to appreciate it.
[HEADING=2]You might also likeā¦[/HEADING]
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Continue readingā¦
Reliable Apple leaker Mark Gurman reports that these potential new Macs would arrive at a ācritical time [because] Mac sales fell 27% in the last fiscal year.ā Gurman suggests that the new in-house silicon is nearing production and that the M4 chip will come in three varieties (unsurprising, given the existence of the M3 Pro and M3 Max chips). He claims that the new chips will be offered across all Mac products, including the Mac Studio and Mac Pro.
The codenames Donan, Brava, and Hidra have been assigned to the three varieties of M4 according to Gurmanās unnamed sources. We also have a potential refresh schedule that suggests the iMac, MacBook Pros, and Mac Mini will be released first with the new chips but no significant design changes, followed by the MacBook Air and Mac Studio later this year. The Mac Pro may have to wait for 2025 for a refresh, but if these rumors are true thatās still a pretty tight turnaround for Apple to meet.
[HEADING=1]Perhaps a bit more time? [/HEADING]
If this is true and Apple is hammering out the kinks before dropping the M4 bomb on us, it would mean a very short life cycle for the M3 chip, considering that the chip only launched with new iMac and MacBook Pro models in October 2023. The M3 MacBook Air launched just last month, so some users might end up frustrated that Apple is forging ahead so soon.
While itās always exciting to see what Apple has in store for us, it does seem like the tech giant is desperate to catch up to the competition to produce AI-focused chips and computers. Weāre all familiar with Appleās strategy of āwatching and waitingā rather than diving right into new emergent tech (like letting the VR industry flounder for years before revealing the Apple Vision Pro), so itās not surprising that the MacBook maker would be late to the AI party. It seems like the wait is over, however, and Apple is ready to show off what its new chip can do.
As for what a newfound focus on hardware-driven AI will look like, thatās anyoneās guess - Gurman hasnāt provided any in-depth details about the M4 chipās microarchitecture, but it seems likely that M4 will feature a neural processing unit (NPU). Thatās a dedicated processor for handling AI-related workloads, which helps reduce the strain on the chipās CPU and GPU. Appleās key competitors like Intel and AMD (and most recently Qualcommās Snapdragon X Elite chip) are all sporting shiny new NPUs, so it makes sense that Apple would want to catch up.
Again, we have no real confirmation that any of this is true, even if Gurman is a very reliable source of information. So we suggest you donāt get your hopes up too soon. Personally, I hope it isnāt true. Not to sound like a tree-hugging spoilsport, but we just got new devices - why should we waste precious resources to shell out more so soon after the arrival of the M3 chips?
I understand the need for technology to progress - itās inevitable. I just hope we get a little more time with what we have, so we can actually grow to appreciate it.
[HEADING=2]You might also likeā¦[/HEADING]
[ul]
[li]Apple steps up Safariās game with 60% faster performance according to shiny new browser benchmark Speedometer 3.0[/li][li]TechRadar has a new podcast and we donāt care who knows it[/li][li]Iām a Mac mini user, and these are the three best Logitech peripherals you can buy right now[/li][/ul]
Continue readingā¦