MacBook Pro laptops on display at the Apple Store (Photo by Monika Skolimowska/picture Alliance) … [+]
Later this month, Apple will launch three new MacBooks. They ship with the latest M4 Apple Silicon chipset and, similar to recent iPhone launches, place significant strain on the platform to deliver successful generative AI experiences to the loyal Apple community.
But while all eyes are on the entire MacBook Pro lineup and the entry-level M4-powered MacBook Pro, the true game-changer is yet to arrive. If consumers are looking for the best macOS laptop for their needs, they’ll have to wait.
In the early generations of the Mxx Apple Silicon series, Apple launched the base chipset in two MacBook Air models (a standard spec and a lower spec entry-level model) alongside the consumer MacBook Pro. Teardowns by iFixit and others have shown that MacBook Pro models with the original M1 chipset are, broadly speaking, very similar to MacBook Airs with active fan cooling.
When the M1 Pro and M1 Max MacBook Pro models arrived in different physical configurations, it was clear that the first M1 MacBook Pro was not a true MacBook Pro, but an upgraded Air.
The same was true for the M2 MacBook. The MacBook Pro with the vanilla M2 was more Air than Pro. For the M3 generation, Apple did a dirty trick by launching the M3 MacBook Pro in November and then waiting until March of the following year to launch the M3 MacBook Air…consumers wanted immediate and direct information to help them make purchasing decisions. Comparison rejected.
It looks like Apple is pulling the same trick again with the M4 family.
Three new MacBook Pro models are expected to be introduced at the upcoming October launch event. The professional 14-inch MacBook Pro and 16-inch MacBook Pro have the option of using the more advanced and powerful M4 Pro and M4 Max chipsets. At the same time, the cheaper consumer MacBook Pro will come with the still relatively powerful, but very entry-level M4.
The MacBook Air is nowhere to be seen, but there are many reports that it will arrive in March 2025. If you’re looking for the base model, you’re looking at the MacBook Air…but Apple won’t officially announce that model. Another 6 months. In its place, we’re left with the M4 MacBook Pro, which is a MacBook Air in all but name, and which differs significantly in engineering and performance from the stock MacBook Pros it sells as well.
There is one silver lining to all of this. Apple has always been criticized for the low 8 GB of RAM in its MacBook Pro series. That looks set to change, as the base M4 MacBook Pro comes with 256 GB of storage and 16 GB of RAM. Why does it increase? Apple Intelligence requires more memory to work.
The ambition to pack Apple Intelligence across the platform will likely force Apple to include the same RAM boost in its upcoming MacBook Air models as it did in its Pro models. Just as the iPhone 16 benefited from the performance demands of generative AI, so too does the MacBook Air.
The M4-powered MacBook Pro may seem like an attractive alternative to the powerful M4 Pro and M4 Max MacBook Pro, but if you want a powerful MacBook Air-spec laptop…wait for the real thing. Why not take a look?
Read more about Apple’s hype over generative AI and how it could damage the iPhone Pro brand here…
