New Macs with M4 chipsets rumored...

New Macs with M4 chipsets rumored to arrive in November 2024

While rumors aren’t exactly what we pay much attention to when selecting topics to cover in the blogs, this one feels more like a leak (a planned one, probably), so we decided to take it up, scoop what’s currently known about the subject, and give it to you. The title of this piece reveals the said subject; below, you’ll also find a bonus section with links to best deals on various Macs in the context of the Labor Day sale campaigns (for those who don’t want to wait for the new models).

So, a whole number of reliable outlets, from MacRumors through TechRadar to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, pointed to the expected announcement of a new line of M4-powered Macs in November of 2024. It’s likely there’s only one actual source of the rumor, and, as mentioned above, it can well be a planned leak, a marketing stunt (and it worked, you have to admit it).

Apple computers with M4 chips: expectations

There are 4 new Mac models with M4 chips Apple is rumored to plan to unveil before the end of 2024:

14-inch MacBook Pro with the M4 chip;
14- and 16-inch MacBook Pro laptops with the M4 Pro and M4 Max chips;
iMac with the M4 chip;
two Mac minis, one with the M4 chip and another with M4 Pro.

Apart from the chipsets, the new models are likely to come with 16GB of RAM as a default option. Otherwise, only Mac minis will be significantly redesigned, and other models will remain largely the same on the outside. Apple is believed to have already launched mass production of these computers, which further supports the expected announcement in November.

What's special about the M4 chipsets? And how do they compare to the M3 chips?

The iPad Pro was the first Apple device to receive the M4 chip. Putting the new silicon into a tablet and not a Mac was an unexpected move; previously, the latest chipsets were always integrated into laptops and desktops first, and then made their way into smaller hardware.

The M4 Pro and M4 Max chipsets are simply more powerful than the standard M4. Overall, the key differences between the M3 and M4 families boil down to the following.

Transistor count: The M3 has 25 billion transistors, while the M4 boasts 28 billion.
CPU cores: The M3 features an 8-core CPU, and the M4’s unit boasts 10 cores.
Performance improvements: The M4 is drastically better than the M2, while the superiority of the M3 over the M1 is not very significant, which means that the M4 is a totally new generation.
Purpose: The M3 was designed with Macs in mind, while the M4, as confirmed by its debut in the iPad Pro, targets more portable devices, which may signal Apple’s overall intentions in terms of hardware (think Vision Pro variations, powerful watches, and tablets that can do everything a regular laptop does).

Bonus: Labor Day deals on Macs (2024)

Labor Day is as good a reason to launch a sales campaign as any, and you can (should) take advantage of the retailers’ generosity regardless of whether you live in the States or not. In case you don’t want to wait for the new M4-powered Macs, that is. Here are the links to some of the best deals on Apple computers (some are subject to supply limitations):