Apple is expected to introduce the M4 MacBook Pro lineup in late 2024. Here is everything you need to know about the rumored new MacBook Pro.
Apple debuted its new M4 chip with the latest OLED iPad Pro at the Let Loose event in June 2024. While the company has not confirmed the availability of M4 Macs, their launch is inevitable.
There is a heightened interest in the M4 MacBook Pros because the shiny new M4 is Apple’s first AI-focused chip. Moreover, at the recently concluded WWDC 2024, Apple teased various AI features, raising expectations for the upcoming MacBook Pro lineup, powered by M4.
Release window
Reports suggest that the M4 MacBook Pro may launch at the end of 2024 or early 2025. According to Display Supply Chain Consultants (DSCC) analyst Ross Young, the panel shipments of new 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models will begin in the third quarter of 2024, suggesting a launch towards the end of the year.
Also seeing panel shipments starting in Q3'24 for a new generation of 14" and 16" panels for MacBook Pro's. Assuming M4 processors. Looks like a Q4'24 launch…
— Ross Young (@DSCCRoss) June 18, 2024
This report corroborates a similar one from another reputed Apple analyst, Mark Gurman, who claimed that the M4 MacBook Pro will arrive in late 2024 or early 2025 if the launch gets pushed slightly.
He also said that other products like the iMacs, Mac Mini, MacBook Air, Mac Studio, and Mac Pro will be released in a phased manner till late 2025.
Expected pricing
Since these are early days, we’ve yet to discover rumors or leaks about the M4 MacBook Pro pricing. We expect people to hear the tentative pricing as we get closer to the launch.
That said, we feel that Apple will price the new M4 MacBook Pro laptops similarly to the current generation of Pro MacBooks. Since these are laptops designed for Pro users, we won’t expect them to come cheap.
We won’t rule out the possibility of Apple hiking the price by $100 each, but we’ll have to wait. A quick look at the pricing of M3 MacBooks will help you plan for your next MacBook Pro upgrade.
| Variant | Screen Size | Starting price |
| MacBook Pro with M3 chip | 14 inch | $1599 |
| MacBook Pro with M3 Pro chip | 14 inch/16 inch | $1999/$2499 |
| MacBook Pro with M3 Max chip | 14 inch/16 inch | $3199/$3499 |
Variants
Multiple reports suggest that the M4 MacBook Pro will come in 14-inch and 16-inch screen sizes. This means that Apple will continue to offer the Pro MacBooks in different combinations based on the chipset. This is in line with what Apple offers with the M3 MacBook Pro.
We may also see an “entry-level” MacBook Pro with the M4 chip. While Apple may let you customize RAM and storage based on your requirements, the CPU and GPU configurations will likely remain the same.
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For professionals needing more power and performance, the M4 Pro MacBook is likely to be available in two sizes: 14 inches and 16 inches. Even the biggest and most powerful Apple laptop, the M4 Max-powered MacBook Pro, may come in 14-inch and 16-inch screen sizes.
For the people who still need more power, Apple may offer a couple of variants featuring the M4 Pro and M4 Max.
Expected design and features
While Apple is unlikely to alter the design of the M4 MacBook Pro, the company may have different ideas. According to a report by Mark Gurman, Apple is looking to make its upcoming devices “thinner” in line with the new iPad Pro.
The noted Apple analyst says, “I’m told that Apple is now focused on developing a significantly skinnier phone in time for the iPhone 17 line in 2025. It’s also working to make the MacBook Pro and Apple Watch thinner. The plan is for the latest iPad Pro to be the beginning of a new class of Apple devices that should be the thinnest and lightest products in their categories across the whole tech industry.”
If true, the already portable MacBook Pro may shed some weight and become leaner and meaner. Though this news may excite creators and professionals who are always on the move, we hope that this weight loss doesn’t impact the laptop’s battery life.
Apple is reportedly also working on an OLED MacBook Pro. However, we might have to wait till 2025 for a display tech update on the Pro laptops.
The M4 chipset is Apple’s first AI-focused processor, and coupled with the macOS Sequoia; it could be a creator’s dream machine. This new chip offers significant improvements over the M3 Chipset, and Apple has reportedly changed the design of the CPU cores.
Apple says the new cores are better at predicting which instructions to execute next, and they have wider execution units for both the high-performance and energy-efficient cores. The cores also have better hardware for accelerating machine learning tasks. Additionally, the M4’s Neural Engine for AI processing is much more powerful than the M3’s.
Apple claims it can do up to 38 trillion operations per second, more than double the M3’s capability. This major upgrade in AI processing power will likely be necessary for Apple’s plans to perform more AI processing on their devices.