Apple’s M4 Macs spotted in testing – hinting that the entry-level MacBook Pro 14-inch could get the RAM upgrade everyone’s been craving
Apple is apparently testing four new M4 Mac models in preparation for rumored releases later this year. The entry-level MacBook Pro is also reportedly getting a major update to its base memory capacity (and a possible change to its CPU footprint).
All this comes from the latest report written by Bloombergs Mark Gurman (via MacRumors), an Apple leak source, tells us that Apple is busy “ramping up” testing of four Macs featuring the M4 processor.
The leaker has previously told us (multiple times) that we can expect the MacBook Pro, Mac mini, and iMac models with the M4 SoC later in 2024, likely in October.
Gurman’s latest clues come from digging into developer logs, which have revealed four Macs powered by entry-level M4 chips. The report claims that three of those Mac models will use a 10-core CPU with a 10-core GPU, and the same M4 SoC found in high-end iPad Pros will be used in some of the new Mac M4 machines.
The other M4 spotted has an 8-core CPU and an 8-core GPU. This is said to be a new configuration for the M4 silicon, which is currently not used in the iPad Pro models that are on sale.
It’s here that we hear about that potential big RAM upgrade, as these M4 Macs all come equipped with either 16GB or 32GB of unified memory – there are no 8GB configurations here. At the same time, note the twist on the CPU front – Gurman is only mentioning the vanilla M4 processor, and not the more powerful M4 Pro or Max variants.
Analysis: Why more RAM makes sense on all fronts
Remember, these are entry-level Mac models, and the clear hint here is that Apple will spec the base MacBook Pro 14-inch M4 with 16GB of RAM (same as the 16-inch version, which already has that). And it’s entirely possible that 16GB will be a minimum for the Mac mini and iMac as well, and by extension, when it arrives next year, the MacBook Air M4.
And in a way, it makes sense that this memory upgrade would be universally adopted across Apple’s M4-generation Macs. Certainly, with the MacBook Pro, a pro-grade laptop meant for more demanding computing tasks, having models with 8GB of RAM available in 2024 seems a bit ridiculous – and indeed cynical (a move to fleece buyers for a much-needed upgrade to 16GB).
But more broadly, we need to look at Apple’s current direction with its devices, which is to harness AI with a big bet on Apple Intelligence. As we’ve seen before, there are already AI-related features for coding (in Xcode 16, Apple’s app development platform) that require 16GB to run, and going forward, Apple Intelligence functionality in macOS could well be more demanding along these lines. By moving to a base 16GB configuration all-round, Apple would also be keeping pace with the AI Joneses – namely Microsoft and its Copilot+ PCs, which require 16GB as a minimum memory configuration.
We think this is a distinct possibility, so 16GB for all Macs, although for the MacBook Pro 14-inch M4 it seems very likely. For that laptop the move is long overdue, honestly.
Of course, we should be careful not to read too much into this – this is leaked information and could be incorrect regardless – and that goes even more for the processor-related bit discussed here.
The fact that no M4 Pro or Max models were spotted could indicate that these weren’t in the dev logs for some reason (they may exist, but are a bit behind in testing). could be We’ve been suggesting that only vanilla M4-based Macs will ship in 2024, but we doubt it. Why? That would seemingly rule out the MacBook Pro 16-inch, and by all accounts, displays are already shipping for it – according to another known Apple leakster (who has doubled down on this rumor).
So, we’d put the CPU speculation aside for now, although with the faster AI performance expected of the M4, pairing it with 16GB of RAM on all Macs does make sense – the question is, particularly in the case of the entry-level MacBook Pro 14-inch, how will that affect the price? Hopefully not to the same extent that an 8GB upgrade will cost you now.
