Apple’s M3 chip is now firmly cemented within the Mac lineup, and all of Apple’s greatest MacBooks now supply some number of M3, M3 Professional, and M3 Max choices. Nonetheless, the tempo of Apple silicon’s advance has been phenomenal, and simply months after the disclosing of the M3 chip, we’re already beginning to hear some thrilling issues about Apple’s M4 chip, and an all-new M4 MacBook Professional.
Based on experiences in early 2024, Apple is planning to maneuver its Mac lineup to an annual refresh cycle, identical to its greatest iPhones. To that finish, the corporate is planning to unveil the M4 Apple silicon chip earlier than the top of 2024, and Apple’s M4 MacBook Professional is predicted to be the very first Mac to get the brand new chip alongside a brand new M4 iMac.
Apple’s main MacBook redesigns are considerably much less frequent than inside modifications, which suggests the 2024 M4 MacBook Professional would possibly properly look similar to the present M3 MacBook Professional lineup. It’s additionally probably that Apple will proceed to supply broadly the identical mannequin lineup because the M3 vary, having so just lately settled on a brand new configuration of three chips, and two sizes.
So what may all of that imply for the M4 MacBook Professional, tipped for launch on the finish of the yr? Right here’s the whole lot you want to know.
M4 MacBook Professional: Launch date
Apple’s model new M3, M3 Professional, and M3 Max MacBook Professional fashions got here out on October 30, 2023, the third Apple silicon MacBook Professional launch since 2020. Maybe extra surprisingly, it was the second MacBook Professional launch in lower than 12 months, the M2 Professional and M2 Max lineup having graced Apple Shops in January 2023.
It appears clear that Apple is popping up the dial on Mac launches, with extra merchandise and fewer important modifications, identical to its different product traces. We’ve been informed to anticipate {that a} new M4 MacBook Professional may debut as early as the top of 2024. Based on a leak from Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman in April, Apple is planning an accelerated Mac makeover which is able to start with the brand new M4 MacBook Professional, and an replace to the M3 iMac. Particularly, Gurman says Apple will announce “A low-end 14-inch MacBook Professional with the M4, coming across the finish of 2024.”
We’ll focus on fashions in additional element under, however Apple is probably going going to launch a number of fashions of a brand new M4 MacBook Professional. That features each 14 and 16-inch variations of its higher-end M4 Professional and M4 Max variants. Gurman says these are due “between the top of 2024 and early 2025.” This doesn’t preclude all three being launched on the identical time, which appears extra probably as that’s the format Apple selected in 2023. Apple may take yearly upgrades to its pure conclusion and announce these on the finish of October. November can also be a probable shout, with Apple having introduced Macs at occasions or in any other case in each months beforehand.
M4 MacBook Professional: Fashions
With the appearance of the bottom mannequin M3 MacBook Professional, Apple appears to have discovered a mannequin configuration that works very properly. Three fashions in two sizes. Apple’s present providing lends customers the selection of both a 14 or 16-inch chassis, and three complete processor choices, M3, M3 Professional, and M3 Max. The one caveat is that the base-model M3 model solely is available in one dimension, 14 inches. Having so just lately tweaked that lineup considerably — ditching the 13-inch MacBook Professional for a bigger, stronger base mannequin — it appears unlikely that Apple would overhaul its MacBook lineup once more. Whereas we may have made an informed guess in regards to the lineup, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman has given us a very good take a look at the roadmap and the anticipated fashions coming. The anticipated mannequin rundown is as follows:
| Dimension | Row 0 – Cell 1 | Row 0 – Cell 2 | Row 0 – Cell 3 |
| 14-inch MacBook Professional | M4 | M4 Professional | M4 Max |
| 16-inch MacBook Professional | Row 2 – Cell 1 | M4 Professional | M4 Max |
M4 MacBook Professional: M4 chip
Yow will discover the whole lot you want to know in regards to the M4 chip in our full rundown, nonetheless, it is secure to say that that is anticipated to be one of many greatest jumps in Apple silicon efficiency to this point. Right here’s a fast rundown of a few of the greatest rumors and anticipated modifications.
Apple’s M3 lineup pivoted to a 3nm course of that packs in additional transistors into the identical house. Denser chips enhance processing and effectivity with out taking over more room. Apple’s fundamental provide chain associate TSMC is predicted to undertake a barely up to date course of dubbed 3NE. The brand new course of gives very slight total efficiency enhancements over the present 3nm course of M3 makes use of, with TSMC promising “higher energy, efficiency, and density.”
A report in February claimed that each Apple’s A18 chip and the M4 Apple silicon chip would see “important“ will increase in each the quantity and efficiency of the processors in M4, in addition to a major improve within the variety of built-in AI computing cores. Meaning we will anticipate massive enhancements not simply to CPU and GPU core counts, but additionally to the Neural Engine.
Because it stands, the M3, M3 Professional, and M3 Max chips supply ever-increasing numbers of CPU and GPU cores, in addition to boosted Unified reminiscence in each bandwidth and capability. Right here’s the beginning lineup for the M3 chip vary:
| Chip | CPU cores | GPU cores | Unified Reminiscence |
| M3 | 8 | 10 | 8GB, 16GB, 24GB |
| M3 Professional | 12 | 18 | 18GB, 36GB |
| M3 Max | 16 | 40 | 36GB, 48GB, 64GB, 96GB, 128GB |
Apple has continued so as to add CPU and GPU cores to every passing M-series chip, so it appears probably that M4 will proceed this pattern.
M4 MacBook Professional: Design
Apple solidified its MacBook Professional design with the 2021 model of its MacBook Professional. Whereas Apple usually releases new MacBook Professional fashions yearly, the broader design language tends to final for 5 and even six years at a time. Apple’s iconic unibody aluminum MacBook Professional took us from late 2008 to late 2011, regardless of getting six refreshes throughout its lifetime. Equally, the 14 and 16-inch MacBook Professional fashions are nonetheless fairly recent design-wise, so we wouldn’t anticipate any important modifications or tweaks to the MacBook Professional’s design for 2024, and there aren’t any rumors to recommend in any other case.
M4 MacBook Professional: Show
Probably the greatest options of the present MacBook Professional lineup is its Liquid Retina XDR show. Pumping out 3024-by-1964 native decision at 254 PPI and 3456-by-2234 native decision at 254 PPI respectively, each the 14 and 16-inch fashions of the MacBook Professional supply a 1 million to at least one distinction ratio, and 1600 nits of peak HDR brightness powered by mini-LED.
The massive improve to look out for this yr would possibly be OLED. Apple is predicted to unveil a brand new M3 iPad Professional with OLED in Could. Meantime, we’ve been listening to plenty of rumblings in regards to the prospect of a future OLED MacBook Professional. Nonetheless, the leaks and rumors are all so scattered that it is unimaginable to pin down a very good timeframe. One current report from February 2024 indicated that the brand new OLED Macbook Professional was nonetheless years away, with a reveal tipped for 2027.
Nonetheless, in December the OLED MacBook was tipped for a 2025 launch, whereas a report in November stated the improve was coming 2026.
All of this appears to recommend that OLED is de facto too far-off from the MacBook to make an look as early as the top of this yr. An OLED MacBook actually looks like a transparent path Apple will select for the longer term, and the MacBook Professional is the apparent alternative for the primary recipient of such an improve. Nonetheless, Apple’s current mini-LED lineup already gives a few of the greatest shows of any pocket book on the market. Whereas OLED would supply higher distinction and black ranges, a extra vital profit would probably be the benefit of thinner shows which may scale back the MacBook Professional lineup’s total thickness and weight.
M4 MacBook Professional: Reminiscence and Storage
Apple continues to supply some actually hefty configuration choices for its MacBook Professional fashions in 2024, every with eye-watering worth tags to match. Apple’s M3 MacBook Professional comes with 8GB, 16GB, or 24GB of RAM together with storage of as much as 2TB. The M3 Professional fashions gives as much as 36GB of reminiscence, whereas the M3 Max model can go all the best way as much as 128 GB. Apple’s M4 chip may probably add much more reminiscence to the combo later this yr, or maybe extra reminiscence bandwidth. The largest urgent want right here, nonetheless, is a beginning configuration of 16GB. Whereas Apple claims that 8GB continues to be loads of reminiscence for many customers who need a base mannequin, it appears to defy logic that that is an possibility in 2024. Drawing a line beneath 8GB MacBook Professional fashions can be one of many greatest steps the M4 MacBook may make for 2024.
M4 MacBook Professional: Connectivity
After eschewing all of its ports for USB-C slots just a few years again, Apple lastly made MacBooks helpful once more by bringing again HDMI and SDXC slots in 2021. With no design modifications anticipated, Apple’s connectivity assist is more likely to go unchanged for 2024. Apple already gives the entire ports a MacBook Professional customers may wish together with Thunderbolt 4, HDMI, and even a headphone jack. Because it stands, there aren’t any present experiences of any connectivity modifications coming to the M4 MacBook Professional.
M4 MacBook Professional: Value
With a brand new beginning worth of $1,599, the M3 MacBook Professional lineup is arguably extra inexpensive than it has been in earlier years. The theme of the M4 MacBook Professional improve for 2024 total is a slight tweak to efficiency in M4 and never a lot else. As such, we’d anticipate lots of the MacBook Professional’s options and specs to stay broadly the identical, if not similar. As such, the M4 MacBook Professional 14-inch is more likely to retail on the identical $1,599 price ticket as its predecessor. Likewise, the 14-inch Macbook Professional will probably be $1,999, and the 16-inch mannequin will begin at $2,499. With no main upgrades or design modifications, there’s no clear motive to point Apple would improve the value of its MacBook Professional lineup in any respect. Moreover, Apple’s MacBook Professional fashions are extremely costly, and pushing the value up additional would probably have clients wanting elsewhere.