It's only been five months since Apple released the first M3-powered Macs, but we may not have to wait long to see laptops and desktops with M4 chipsets. According to Bloomberg, Macs with M4 processors could start arriving as early as this year (which isn't necessarily a big surprise given the frequency with which Apple's silicon chips are released). While the M3 lineup didn't offer a massive upgrade from the M2 chipsets, the M4 series could be a game-changer as Apple is said to be putting a lot more emphasis on AI this time around.
According to the report, there will be at least three major versions of the M4, and Apple is expected to update every Mac model with one of these chips. According to Bloomberg, Apple will release the iMac, the entry-level 14-inch MacBook Pro, the more powerful 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pros, and the Mac mini with M4 chips by early 2025.
Versions of the 13-inch and 15-inch MacBook Air with M4 chips could arrive in the spring, the Mac Studio with M4 chips around mid-2025, and the Mac Pro later that year. However, the publication notes that plans may change.
An update to the Mac mini will be long overdue, as Apple hasn't updated the device since January 2023. Mac Studio and Mac Pro received M2 update in mid-2023. October saw the arrival of the M3-based iMac and MacBook Pro (remember the Scary Fast event?). Meanwhile, the MacBook Air received the M3 update just last month.
In older Mac desktop models, Apple may add memory support up to 512 GB. The latest Mac Studio and Mac Pro have a maximum of 192GB of RAM, but earlier Intel-based systems supported up to 1.5TB of memory with off-the-shelf components. Apple integrates memory more deeply into its own chipsets, making RAM upgrades more difficult in silicon-based systems.
However, Apple's main focus in the M4 lineup is said to be on artificial intelligence as it seeks to catch up (at least in terms of public perception) to the likes of Microsoft and Google. Bloomberg suggests that Apple will highlight how the AI processing capabilities of the M4 chipset devices will be integrated with the hardware and the latest version of macOS, which will debut at the Worldwide Developers Conference in June.
The company is also said to be planning an AI-focused upgrade to the processors used in this year's iPhones. It was previously reported that Apple wants to integrate Google's Gemini AI into the iPhone while it works on its own generative AI models.
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