Hold onto your hats, Mac fans! Apple just launched their M3 Macs – the MacBook Pro, iMac, and even the MacBook Air all got the M3 treatment in the last few months. But guess what? Apparently, Apple never sleeps! They’re already rumored to be revamping their entire Mac line-up again, desktops and laptops alike, with the brand new M4 chip. And the reason? AI, apparently. Looks like Apple’s betting big on artificial intelligence for their Macs.
According to Apple guru Mark Gurman from Bloomberg, the rumor mill is churning again. Apparently, Apple’s already prepping to manufacture a whole new wave of Mac computers, each one rocking the next-gen M4 chip. Just like their M-series chips before it, the M4 is expected to come in three flavors: Donan, the starter model; Brava, the middle child; and Hidra, the powerhouse. If Apple sticks to their usual naming scheme, we can probably expect them to be called M4, M4 Pro, and M4 Max.
Can’t wait for M4? These are my favorite Mac options available now:
- M1 MacBook Air: $649
- M2 MacBook Air: $849 (usually $999)
- M2 MacBook Pro (renewed): $1,551.08 (usually $1,845.95)
So, how will these new M4 chips be divvied up? Here’s the rumor: The Donan, the starter chip, might show up in the MacBook Air, iMac, the regular MacBook Pro, and the base-model Mac mini. Stepping it up a notch, the Brava is expected to power the beefier versions of the MacBook Pro and Mac mini. (Apparently, Apple’s even testing the Brava in the Mac Studio instead of a brand new M3 chip!) Finally, the top-dog Hidra chip will be exclusive to the Mac Pro, Apple’s most powerful machine. Speaking of power, there’s a rumor that Apple might even crank up the maximum RAM on these high-end Macs to a whopping 500GB (right now, the max is 192GB – that’s a lot of memory!).
The big question: how much faster will these new M4 chips be? Apple’s track record shows steady but not mind-blowing improvements with each M-series chip, since they’re already so powerful. This year might be different though. With rumors swirling about a ton of new AI features coming at WWDC in June, Apple’s likely aiming to supercharge these Macs for handling all that artificial intelligence stuff. They want to make a big splash in the AI world, and these new Macs sound like they’ll be the tools to do it.
Apple’s lagging behind when it comes to this hot new tech called generative AI. They’re one of the few big tech companies that haven’t jumped on board yet, and mostly just use AI for small features here and there. If they want to catch up quickly, they’ll need to blow our minds with these new features they’re rumored to be announcing. New Macs with chips built specifically for AI would be a huge step – even if some of those features might secretly rely on Google’s AI tech under the hood. Plus, these supercharged Macs could be just what Apple needs to boost sales after a rough year with a 27% drop last fiscal year.
Don’t worry, this M4 news doesn’t mean your current M-series Mac is suddenly outdated. Those chips are still beasts, and for most people, the M1 MacBook Air is a fantastic choice. Unless Apple completely ditches the older chips to focus on AI, I think the M4 is more about showing their commitment to AI than making your current Mac obsolete. Sure, if you absolutely want the top-of-the-line AI features, snag an M4. But if you’ve got an M1, M2, or M3, you’ll probably still be able to use all the cool new AI stuff too.
