The first M4 Mac is coming, there may be new changes in appearance

APPSO, author: appso, image source: Visual China

At this year's WWDC, Apple updated the iPad Pro after 18 months. This new iPad is not only the thinnest in history, but also the first non-Mac device to debut the desktop-class M4 processor from Apple.

And now, the Mac with the M4 chip is about to be released.

According to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, Apple may launch a MacBook Pro with the M4 chip later this year. As a result, the M3 chip may become one of Apple's shortest-lived chips, being replaced by the M4 chip less than a year after its release.

Release timeline of Apple M series chips

The upcoming iMac, which will be equipped with the M4 chip later this year, features the previous generation iMac with the M3 chip, which was released on October 31 last year along with the M3 MacBook Pro.

Apart from processor upgrades, these two devices will not undergo significant changes.

In addition, the Mac mini will undergo an iteration later this year. Its last update was the M2 Pro model released in January 2023, skipping the M3 chip this time and adopting the latest M4 chip directly.

The upgrades for the MacBook Air, Mac Studio, and Mac Pro may have to wait until 2025.

Interestingly, in this leak, Gurman also brought news that at least one device will undergo more significant changes.

Turning our attention to the appearance of the Mac series devices, after Apple released the M1 chip in 2020, most of the designs have been redesigned:

The MacBook Pro and MacBook Air, due to practicality issues, have abandoned the "wedge" body, removed the Touch Bar, reduced the bezels, and introduced a notch; the iMac has completely departed from the design used since 2012, significantly thinning the screen, removing the back curve, and adding various colors.

"Wedge" body disappears

So far, only the Mac Pro and Mac mini in the Mac family have maintained their original designs. The last appearance update for the Mac Pro was in 2019, while the Mac mini has seen almost no changes since its launch.

This little box has remained unchanged since its launch.

From this clue, the "more obvious changes" mentioned by Gruman may appear on the Mac Pro and Mac mini, but considering that the design of the MacBook Pro has been in use for nearly four years, there is also the possibility of a generational change.

This leak actually reveals the uniqueness of the M4 chip: on one hand, Apple needs to ensure that the lifespan of the M3 chip is extended to some extent, as rapid and sudden changes would affect user loyalty;

On the other hand, current AI PCs have stacked overall computing power to the level of 30-40 TOPS. For example, the Intel Core Ultra provides 34 TOPS of computing power, but the M3 chip mainly focuses on CPU and GPU performance, only providing 18 TOPS of computing power support—this is almost unable to face the threat of powerful computing power from AI PCs, and is not conducive to the deployment of large-scale AI models on the future Apple Intelligence edge.

Amid internal and external challenges, the long-unupdated iPad family has become a lifesaver.

Introducing the M4 chip with the iPad as its debut was indeed effective. Apple's latest financial report shows that the launch of the new iPad helped increase sales in this category by 25%; at the same time, the performance of the new iPad also attracted consumers' attention, giving the M3 chip an extension of life for a period of time, even if only for a short six months.

Unlike the awkward situation of "buying productivity before purchase, and watching iQiyi after purchase" with the iPad Pro, the Mac family has always been a reliable production tool for core users and has been highly regarded by users. Soon, the M4 chip, which can provide 38 TOPS, will finally be introduced to the Mac, and Apple's AI PC journey may just be beginning.

APPSO, author: appso