Apple introduced the M4 in its latest 11-inch and 13-inch iPad Pro models, and according to one analyst, the company is not wasting any time in prepping the new wave of MacBook Pro models that will feature the same SoC, as these models are slated to arrive in late 2024. The technology giant switched its launch strategy in October 2023 when it announced a base 14-inch MacBook Pro, followed by two higher-end models with more powerful hardware, meaning that it is likely that this approach will be repeated.
M4 MacBook Pro displays for the 14-inch and 16-inch versions are said to commence in Q3 2024, hinting at a Q4 launch
In a tweet specifically curated for his subscribers and spotted by MacRumors, Display Supply Chain Consultants’ founder and CEO Ross Young has commented that displays of the 14-inch and 16-inch M4 MacBook Pro models will start shipping in the third quarter of this year. Based on this timeline, the portable Macs will be available for customers in the fourth quarter. Assuming Apple can pull this off, it will be the shortest timespan between a launch cycle of two MacBook Pro lineups.
What is impressive is that Apple was able to develop the new M4 SoC using TSMC’s second-generation 3nm process a few months after the M3 materialized. From what we have seen, we are excited to see the chipset in action. To recap, this Apple Silicon is available in two configurations: a 9-core CPU with three performance and six efficiency cores and a top-tier version sporting a 10-core CPU with four performance and six efficiency cores. Our past reports reveal that the top-end M4 easily beats the competition, like the Snapdragon X Elite, in both single-core and multi-core results while being up to 45 percent faster than the M2 and M3 in Geekbench 6.
Even the 9-core CPU version of the M4 is no slouch in the performance department, being just a tad bit slower than its higher-core counterpart. Apple’s latest 3nm SoC has another trick up its sleeve; supporting the ARMv9 architecture, allowing it to run complex workloads more efficiently. Another major advantage of owning an M4 MacBook Pro is a massive uplift in gaming performance, and with support for the AVX2 instruction set in Apple’s Game Porting Toolkit 2, we should witness higher framerates in upcoming machines.
The report does not mention if the more powerful variants of the M4, like the M4 Pro and M4 Max, will launch alongside the base SoC, but if Apple proceeds with the same launch strategy as last time, we should witness the unveiling of all three chipsets. It should make for some exciting coverage in the coming months, so we will keep our readers updated on the latest.
News Source: Ross Young
