Since the debut of the M3 chips at Apple’s ‘Scary Fast’ event last year, the computing world has been eagerly awaiting the arrival of its successor: the M4. Although this CPU debuted earlier this year, so far it’s only in the new iPad Pro, and what we really want to see is this chip powering a MacBook – and that could happen soon enough.
New rumors suggest that the next M4 refresh we’ll see is the MacBook Pro series. According to analyst Ross Youngan expert on the display supply chain, deliveries of panels for new 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models will arrive at the beginning of the third quarter (which ends in September), signaling an end year of launch.
With the current range of M3, M3 Pro and M3 Max MacBook Pro models already in place, it makes sense to equip the next generation of laptops with new chips. Especially considering that the M4 is already available with the iPad Pro, as mentioned.
Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, a reliable Apple leaker, has also predicted that M4 Macs will arrive by the end of 2024, suggesting that the MacBook Pro and Mac mini will be first in line for an M4 refresh. The vanilla M4 chip is rumored to be for the entry-level MacBook Pro 14-inch, while the other higher-end models, and its 16-inch sibling, will get the M4 Pro and M4 Max chips.
Unfortunately, aside from this M4 chip upgrade, we may not see any further significant changes to the MacBook Pro. That’s not to say a new CPU isn’t exciting news, but it would mean that those with a MacBook Pro with an M3 will struggle to find a good reason to upgrade.
We probably won’t see it OLED MacBooks until 2026 at the earliest, which is quite disappointing considering we’ve all been waiting for an OLED MacBook for a while now. We’re told that when they arrive, these MacBooks will use the same ‘tandem’ OLED screens as the iPad Pro (tandem refers to the integration of two OLED panels layered on top of each other, for better brightness and color clarity).
The move to OLED displays is widely expected to increase the popularity of the Apple MacBook Pro, and I agree. Who normally uses a MacBook Pro? Artists, videographers, filmmakers, animators, editors – and all those users and other creatives who would undoubtedly benefit from a sharper, better and more vibrant OLED screen.
The combination of such a crystal-clear OLED screen and increasingly powerful AI-focused M-series silicon could make this future MacBook a bestseller, although we’re getting a bit ahead of ourselves. First stop: a new M4 MacBook Pro – and let’s see if this rumor becomes reality, and if the CPU is indeed the only meaningful upgrade on the updated laptops.