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Rumor mill: New M4 Macs are right around the corner. Judging by recent movement in Apple's supply chain, we should see M4 Pro and M4 Max MacBooks before the end of the year and possibly as early as the end of October. Standard M4 Macs are also on the way, but that timeframe is not as solid.
According to supply chain reports, Apple has begun mass production on four MacBook Pro variants. We should see 14- and 16-inch models with M4 Pro and M4 Max configurations. DigiTimes reported that assembly lines are ramping up this month.
MacRumors points out that the production schedule aligns with reports earlier this month indicating that Apple's display supplier started shipping 14- and 16-inch screens to assembly lines in July. Display analyst Ross Young predicts that the manufacturing movement indicates Cupertino is planning to launch the M4 MacBook Pros in the fourth quarter.
The report also validates Bloomberg's predictions.
"You should expect M4 Pro and M4 Max chips later this year as part of the high-end MacBook Pro," Apple guru Mark Gurman wrote back in May.
Gurman also forecasts that Apple has three new Macs powered by the standard M4 chip. We can expect an entry-level 14-inch M4 MacBook Pro, an M4 iMac, and an M4 Mac mini.
A specific release timeline is still unknown, but Cupertino usually announces Macs after it reveals its new iPhones. Since Apple has already set its "Glowtime" event for September 9, October seems prime for unveiling the latest Mac hardware. Last year, Apple introduced the M3 Macs in late October, so a similar timeframe seems reasonable.
Of course, the low-end M4 got a head start this year when Cupertino launched an M4 iPad Pro in May. It was quite the bump to Apple's high-end tablet. The super-thin device has 11- and 14-inch variants, a big jump in screen real estate from the previous Pro with its 11.9-inch display. It also boasts a 60x performance improvement over the A11 Bionic thanks to Apple's new Neural Engine. The tablet is about 25 percent more powerful and efficient than the M3 MacBook Pro.
Speculation regarding new Mac hardware designs has been absent this year, so we're not likely to see any significant physical changes to any of Apple's upcoming computers, which is fine. The company found a sweet spot for aesthetics after removing the Touchbar display in 2021. Gurman expects Apple to produce thinner MacBooks eventually. It will also shift to OLED displays at some point. However, he said these changes are still a few years away.