The M4 chip is coming sooner than we thought–and it’ll be packed with AI tech

Apple plans to make a big splash with its Mac releases this year. According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, the Mac will get an “overhaul” with an M4 chip that is designed with big AI enhancements. Gurman reports that every Mac model will be updated with an M4, which “will come in at least three main varieties.”

Gurman states that the new wave of AI-enhanced Macs could start later this year and continue into 2025. The AI-enhanced M4 rollout begins with the MacBook Pro, the Mac mini, and “iMacs.” In 2025, the MacBook Air is scheduled for the spring, followed by the Mac Studio around WWDC 2025 and the Mac Pro later in the year. “But the company’s plans could change,” said Gurman.

The base M4 chip is code-named Donan and is slated to be used in the entry-level 14-inch MacBook Pro, Mac mini, and the MacBook Air just as the M3 is today. Gurman states that a higher-end M4 code-named Brava will be used in the higher-end MacBook Pro and Mac mini–this chip appears to be the M4 Pro. “A variation of the M4 Brava processor” (presumably the M4 Max) will be in the Mac Studio, while a M4 chip code-named Hidra (which could be the M4 Ultra) is set for the Mac Pro.

In addition to the M4 upgrade, Apple could increase the amount of supported memory in its highest-end desktop Macs, up to 512GB. The current limit for the M2 Ultra Mac Studio and Mac Pro is 192GB. The development and training of AI software is very memory intensive.

AI is the current darling of tech, with software tools all over the internet and manufacturers such as Nvidia and Intel boasting about its new chips with AI support. Apple has yet to make a serious impression, but it hopes to do so at its Worldwide Developers Conference in June and subsequent hardware releases. Apple CEO Tim Cook has stated several times that the company has big plans for AI.

What about the rest of the M3 release schedule?

Gurman doesn’t really say how the M3 release schedule is affected. Apple started to release the M3 Macs last fall with the iMac and MacBook Pro and continued the cycle with the MacBook Air in March. The Mac mini, Mac Studio, and Mac Pro have not been updated with M3 series processors and still use chips from the M2 series.

According the Gurman, “Apple is testing versions with both a still-unreleased M3-era chip and a variation of the M4 Brava processor,” which indicates that Apple could proceed with new M3 Max and M3 Ultra Mac Studios, possibly at WWDC24 in June.

As for the Mac mini and Mac Pro, Gurman doesn’t specifically address those two Macs and their M3 possibilities. That seems to indicate that Apple could forgo M3 updates for those models and wait until 2025 for the M4.

Also, in his report, Gurman says the iMac will be updated with the M4 but leaves the iMac out when stating which versions of the M4 chip will appear in what Mac models. Gurman indicates that the M4 rollout involves “iMacs,” and by “iMacs” he could be referring to the different configurations that revolve around the base M-series chip that Apple puts in the all-in-one. However, rumors suggest that Apple is working on a larger iMac (not a 27-inch version), so perhaps “iMacs” means Apple is working on a M4 24-inch iMac, and a larger (32-inch?) iMac with, say, an M4 Pro. Unless more reports are made before then, we’ll have to wait and find out later this year.