Apple has today finally pulled the trigger on its long-rumored fall 2024 Mac lineup and posted some models of the iMac, Mac mini, and MacBook Pro, all of which are powered by different variants of the Apple M4 chip. Within a year, Apple will refresh its entire Mac lineup with M4 series processors for the first time using a common generation of chips across all Macs.
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Upcoming M4 Variants and Launch Timelines
This rollout suggests that M4-based MacBook Air, Mac Studio, and Mac Pro are also coming. Bloomberg reported recently that the refreshed M4 MacBook Air would arrive by early 2025, with production of the new machines slated to begin shortly. Those will be the same but include a minimum of 16GB of RAM versus 8GB on earlier models. That could include a 12MP Center Stage camera with Desk View support, a step up from the existing 1080p FaceTime HD camera.
The M4 Mac Studio will follow the MacBook Air’s release, potentially debuting between March and June 2025. It will likely have an M4 Ultra or Max chip, which will bring a significant performance boost. The M4 Mac Pro is anticipated for a summer 2025 refresh, skipping the M3 series. This is the M4 Ultra, which will use the top-spec M4 chip but will be made up of potentially 32 CPU cores and 80 GPU cores—twice what the M4 Max can do. It might also feature memory support of up to 512GB, which is a big jump over the present cap.
Performance Upgrades with the M4 Chip
The M4 is manufactured on a 3nm process and offers enhancements in performance and power efficiency. New Geekbench 6 results show the M4 Max trouncing the M2 Ultra in multi-core CPU performance and seeing large GPU performance increases compared to the successors. This makes Apple’s new Macs serious contenders in the high-performance computing space.
FAQs
When will the new M4 MacBook Air models be released?
The new M4 MacBook Air models are expected to launch in early 2025, between January and March.
What are the expected specifications of the M4 Mac Pro?
The upcoming M4 Mac Pro is anticipated to feature up to a 32-core CPU and an 80-core GPU, making it one of the most powerful systems available.
