iOS 18 is not the only thing that is getting a touch of generative AI this year. Apple is also planning to bring AI processing to its MacBooks soon through its upcoming M4 chips, which are said to have a major focus on AI.
As always, the new M chip is expected to come in three different variants, the standard M4, the M4 Pro, and the M4 Max. The vanilla M4 will likely grace new MacBook Air models while the M4 Pro and Max will make their way into MacBook Pros and iMacs.
Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman reports that Apple plans to overhaul its entire Mac lineup with these new chips that will “highlight artificial intelligence.” Gurman is typically highly reliable when it comes to Apple-related leaks.
After peaking in 2022, Mac sales fell by 27% in September last year and remained flat throughout the holiday season in 2023, which is usually expected to help boost sales. Following the launch of the M3 MacBooks, sales were expected to surge once again, but even these laptops did not boost revenue since the M3 family does not bring any substantial upgrades over the M2 lineup.
Apple is now hoping to use the M4 series to change things around as part of its broader push to bring generative AI to all its devices. The iPhone 16 is reportedly bringing AI features in September this year while the new M4 Macs should break cover “later this year.” Other devices should get it in early 2025.
By the end of this year, new iMacs, a low-end 14-inch MacBook Pro, high-end 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pros, and Mac minis are expected to be released. This timing suggests that the iMac and MacBook Pro lines are set to receive updates approximately a year after their last iterations, aligning their refresh cycles closely with those of Apple’s smartphones, likely driven by sales considerations.
At its Worldwide Developers Conference in June, Apple intends to showcase the AI processing prowess of the M4 chip during the unveiling of the next version of macOS. The next iOS update with a focus on AI should also be unveiled at this event.
