Apple appears to be ramping up testing of four new Mac models powered by the M4 chip, ahead of their planned release later this year. It also appears that a major update is coming to the entry-level MacBook Pro, including the base RAM configuration (and potentially a processor change).
This information comes from the latest report the Mark Gurman the Bloomberg (via MacRumors), a recurring source of Apple leaks, which informs us that Apple is accelerating testing of several Macs equipped with the M4 processor.
The tipster had already indicated several times that MacBook Pro, Mac mini and iMac models with the M4 chip should be expected by the end of 2024, probably in October.
Gurman’s latest hints are based on developer logs, revealing four Macs powered by entry-level M4 chips. The report mentions that three of these models feature a 10-core CPU with a 10-core GPU, the same M4 chip already used in high-end iPad Pros and will be included in some new M4 Macs.
The other M4 chip detected has an 8-core CPU and an 8-core GPU, a new configuration for the M4, not used in current iPad Pro models.
This is where the potential big RAM upgrade comes in: these M4 Macs all come with 16GB or 32GB of unified memory – there’s no 8GB configuration offered. Also of note is the processor twist: Gurman only mentions the standard M4, with no mention of the more powerful M4 Pro or Max variants.
(Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)
Analysis: Why it makes sense to increase RAM across the board
It’s important to remember that these are entry-level Mac models, and the clear indication is that Apple may well equip the base 14-inch M4 MacBook Pro with 16GB of RAM (which would match the 16-inch version, which already has it). It’s also very likely that 16GB will become the minimum standard for the Mac mini and iMac, and by extension, when the M4 MacBook Air launches next year.
In some ways, it makes sense that this memory update would roll out to all M4-generation Macs. Indeed, for the MacBook Pro, a laptop meant for professionals and heavier workloads, offering models with only 8GB of RAM in 2024 would seem unreasonable – even cynical (a way of enticing buyers to pay a lot for a necessary upgrade to 16GB).
However, more generally, we must consider Apple’s current strategy with its devices, which is to bet on artificial intelligence with a big ambition on Apple Intelligence. As we have already seen, some AI-related features for development (in Xcode 16, Apple’s application development platform) require 16 GB to run, and in the future, Apple Intelligence features in macOS may well be more demanding in this regard. By opting for a base configuration of 16 GB for all Macs, Apple would also be putting itself on a par with the competition in the AI field – notably Microsoft with its Copilot+ PCs which also require 16 GB as a minimum memory configuration.
So it’s very likely that this move to 16GB for all Macs will come to fruition, although for the 14-inch M4 MacBook Pro it seems particularly plausible and long overdue.
Naturally, one should not jump to conclusions – this information comes from leaks that could turn out to be incorrect – and this is especially true when it comes to processor-related speculation.
The fact that no M4 Pro or Max models were spotted could simply reflect that they weren’t in the developer logs for some reason (they could exist, but be a bit further behind in testing). This could suggest that only Macs with the standard M4 models are planned for 2024, but that seems unlikely. Why? This would apparently rule out the 16-inch MacBook Pro, whose displays are already in production according to another well-known Apple leaker (who also reinforced this rumor).
So it would be prudent to put the CPU speculation aside for now, while there is an expectation of an improvement in AI performance with the M4, pairing it with 16GB of RAM across all Macs seems sensible – the question remains, however, especially for the entry-level 14-inch MacBook Pro, how will this affect pricing? Hopefully the increase won’t be as drastic as the current one from 8GB to 16GB.
