Apple Begins Formal Development of MacBook Pro With M4 Chip: Gurman

Apple's M4 chip is said to be similar to the company's purported A18 chip that is expected to power the iPhone 16 series of smartphones.

Written by David Delima | Updated: 12 March 2024 11:10 IST

Apple Begins Formal Development of MacBook Pro With M4 Chip: Gurman

Apple launched the M3-powered MacBook Pro in October 2023

Highlights

Apple is already working on an M4-powered MacBook Pro
The company launched a MacBook Pro with an M3 chip in October 2023
Apple is yet to update some Mac computers with its M3 chipset

Apple has reportedly started work on a new MacBook Pro model that is powered by a fourth generation Apple Silicon processor. The Cupertino company launched Mac computers with its M3 chip last year — its first processors built on the firm's 3nm technology that was also used to produce the A17 Pro chip that powers the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max. This year's Mac models, including the purported MacBook Pro, are expected to run on the next-generation M4 chip.

Bloomberg's Mark Gurman (via 9to5Mac) states that Apple has started work on its next MacBook Pro model that is expected to arrive as the successor to the M3-powered 2023 MacBook Pro. In the Q&A section of his Power On newsletter, Gurman responded to a user stating "[...] maybe I will snap up an M4 MacBook Pro, which by the way, just started formal development."

Details of Apple's M4 chip are scarce, but the processor is expected to be similar to the purported A18 Pro chip that is expected to power the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max. The company's flagship iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max are equipped with a 3nm A17 Pro chip, while its latest iMac, MacBook Air, and MacBook Pro models are available with M3, M3 Pro, and M3 Max chips.

MacBook Pro 14-Inch (M3 Max) Review: Superpowered!

It's worth noting that it could be a while before Apple launches its next MacBook Pro model — it is yet to release M3-powered versions of its desktop Mac computers, unlike the aforementioned models. The company is yet to share any details of the next-generation processor, and it could be launched after the arrival of macOS 15, or even in 2025.

Last year, benchmark scores for Apple's top-of-the-line M3 Max chip revealed that performance was much higher than its predecessor (the M2 Max) and on par with the M2 Ultra chip that was launched in 2022. During its 'Scary fast' launch event in October 2023, Apple claimed that the flagship M3 Max chip offered "up to 50 percent" better performance than the M2 Max. The M4 chip series is also expected to offer improved AI performance — macOS 15 (alongside iOS 18) is expected to bring several new AI features when it is released later this year.

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MacBook Pro 14-inch (M3 Max, 2023) Laptop

REVIEW
KEY SPECS
NEWS

Design
Display
Software
Performance
Battery Life
Graphics
Sound
Value for Money

Good
Space Black looks stunning
Solid build and finish
Top-notch performance
Best display on a 14-inch laptop
Excellent speaker quality
Battery beast

Bad
Expensive configurations
No Face ID yet

Read detailed Apple MacBook Pro 14-inch (M3 Max, 2023) review

Display size 14.20-inch

Display resolution 1964x3024 pixels

Touchscreen No

Processor Apple M3 Max

RAM 32GB

OS macOS

SSD 1TB

Weight 1.55 kg

More Apple Laptops

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Further reading: MacBook Pro, MacBook Pro M4, M4 MacBook Pro, M4 chip, Apple Silicon, Apple

David Delima

Email David Delima

As a writer on technology with Gadgets 360, David Delima is interested in open-source technology, cybersecurity, consumer privacy, and loves to read and write about how the Internet works. David can be contacted via email at DavidD@ndtv.com, on Twitter at @DxDavey, and Mastodon at mstdn.social/@delima. More