Apple begins official development of MacBook Pro with M4 chip: Gurman

Apple has reportedly started work on a new MacBook Pro model that will be powered by a fourth-generation Apple Silicon processor. The Cupertino company launched Macs with its M3 chip last year — its first processors built on the company’s 3nm technology, which was also used to make the A17 Pro chip that powers the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max. This year’s Mac models, including the rumored MacBook Pro, are expected to run on the next-generation M4 chip.

Bloomberg’s Mark German (through 9to5Mac) claims that Apple has begun work on its next MacBook Pro model, which is expected to arrive as a successor to the M3-powered MacBook Pro from 2023. In Questions and answers section from his Power On newsletter, Gurman responded to a user stating “[…] maybe I’ll get the M4 MacBook Pro, which, by the way, just started official development.”

Details about Apple’s M4 chip are scarce, but the processor is expected to be similar to the alleged A18 Pro chip expected to power the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max. The company’s flagship iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max are equipped with a 3nm A17 Pro chip, while the latest iMac, MacBook Air and MacBook Pro models come with M3, M3 Pro and M3 Max chips.

It’s worth noting that it could be a while before Apple releases its next MacBook Pro model — it’s yet to release M3-based versions of its desktop Macs, unlike the aforementioned models. The company has not yet shared details about the next-generation processor, and it could be released after the arrival of macOS 15 or even in 2025.

Last year, benchmark results for Apple’s flagship M3 Max chip revealed that the performance was much higher than its predecessor (M2 Max) and on par with the M2 Ultra chip, which was launched in 2022. During its ” freaking fast In October 2023, Apple said the flagship M3 Max chip offers “up to 50 percent” better performance than the M2 Max. The M4 series of chips is also expected to offer improved AI performance — macOS 15 (along with iOS 18) is expected to bring several new AI features when it’s released later this year.