Display analyst Ross Young says Apple will launch new MacBook Pro models powered by an M4 chip as soon as the fourth quarter of 2024. The analyst says display panels for new 14-inch and 16-inch M4 MacBook Pro models will begin shipments as soon as the third quarter of 2024. This indicates we could see new M4 MacBook Pros begin to hit shelves as soon as the end of this year.
The first Apple device to use an M4 chip is the M4 iPad Pro lineup, which debuted in May.
The upcoming MacBook Pro models are not expected to boast any significant upgrades other than the new M4 chips. While Apple is working on an OLED MacBook Pro, it is not expected to be ready for prime time until 2026 at the earliest.
Bloomberg‘s Mark Gurman has said that Apple will offer M4 refreshes for both the MacBook Pro and Mac mini lineups later this year. The M4 is expected to power the base model 14-inch MacBook Pro, while the 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models will receive M4 Pro and M4 Max processors. Meanwhile, the Mac mini is expected to receive M4 and M4 Pro upgrades. The Mac Studio, Mac Pro, and MacBook Air won’t receive an M4 upgrade until 2025. No word on when the iMac might get a processor boost.
Apple’s M4 chip is manufactured using an upgraded version of the 3-nanometer process Apple first used in its M3 chip lineup, which the iPad Pro lineup skipped completely. The M4 is as much as 25 percent faster at multi-core performance than the M3 chip in Geekbench benchmarks. Similar performance gains are expected for the M4 Pro and M4 Macs.