Apple to refresh entire MacBook lineup with AI-capable M4 SoC, launch AI-centric features this year

Apple’s M3-powered Macs have only been on the market for five months, but rumours are already swirling about the imminent arrival of M4 chipsets.

While the M3 lineup didn’t bring groundbreaking advancements compared to the M2 chipsets, the M4 series is poised to shake things up, with Apple reportedly placing greater emphasis on artificial intelligence capabilities this time around.

According to reports from Bloomberg, Macs equipped with M4 processors could hit the shelves later this year, following Apple’s established pattern of silicon chip releases.

Bloomberg’s sources indicate that there will be at least three main versions of the M4 chip, with Apple intending to update every Mac model with one of these chips.

The anticipated lineup includes iMacs, an entry-level 14-inch MacBook Pro, more potent 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pros, and Mac minis all featuring M4 chips by early 2025.

Further down the line, the report suggests that versions of the 13-inch and 15-inch MacBook Air with M4 chips could debut by the spring, followed by an M4-powered Mac Studio in about halfway through 2025 and perhaps even Mac Pro later in the year. However, it’s worth noting that these plans may change.

The awaited upgrade to the Mac mini has been a long time coming, with Apple last refreshing the device in January 2023. In contrast, the Mac Studio and Mac Pro received M2 upgrades in mid-2023, while M3-powered iMacs and MacBook Pros made their debut in October.

The MacBook Air received an M3 upgrade just last month.

For the higher-end Mac desktops, Apple may incorporate support for up to 512GB of memory. While the latest Mac Studio and Mac Pro currently top out at 192GB of RAM, previous Intel-powered systems could support up to 1.5TB of memory using off-the-shelf components.

However, Apple’s integration of memory into its own chipsets complicates RAM upgrades for silicon-based systems.

The primary focus of Apple’s M4 lineup is said to be artificial intelligence, as the tech giant aims to narrow the gap, at least in public perception, with competitors like Microsoft and Google.

Bloomberg suggests that Apple will highlight how the on-device AI processing capabilities of the M4 chips will seamlessly integrate with hardware and the latest version of macOS, set to debut at the Worldwide Developers Conference in June.

Additionally, the company is reportedly planning AI-focused enhancements to the processors used in this year’s iPhones, with previous reports indicating a potential integration of Google’s Gemini AI while Apple develops its own generative AI models.

(With inputs from agencies)