Apple officially launched a new iPad Pro model in early May, and it is equipped with a new M4 chip that has not been used in any Mac, so the M3 version of Mac Studio that was originally expected to be launched at the end of this year seems to be because Apple accelerated the development of the M4 chip, predicting that the desktop Mac that has not been updated next, including Mac mini, Mac Studio, and Mac Pro, may skip the M3 chip and go straight to M4. This time, we're going to help you sort out the next updates for desktop Macs.
下一代Mac mini 、 Mac Studio 、Mac Pro 会用M3 还是M4 晶片更新？
Apple has launched the latest M4 chip, which is a very suitable chip for executing the latest AI applications, and the difference from the past is that this time the M4 chip is not the first to be installed in any Mac computer, but the new iPad Pro first, so the M4 will make the new iPad Pro into an extremely powerful AI device.
Now that the M4 chip has been launched, what are the next updates and changes for desktop Macs that are still stuck in the M2 series chip?
Mac mini 、 Mac Studio 、Mac Pro 机型M 晶片的升级
Apple launched its first Slicon chip in 2020 and named it M1 chip, which claimed to be "the fastest CPU core in the world" at the time of launch, and then upgraded to M2 and M3 to the latest M4 chip, it seems that in addition to the MacBook series will update the chip from generation to generation, and the update speed is faster, as for the desktop Mac mini, Mac Studio, and Mac Pro models, they are still stuck in the M2 chip, after the launch of the M4 chip, Will you plan to use M3 chips? Or is it a helicopter M4?
| M-chip (Date of tabulation: 17 May 2024) | Mac mini | Mac Studio | Mac Pro |
| This generation of chips | M2/M2 Pro 2023 | M2 Max/M2 Ultra 2023 | M2 Ultra 2023 |
| Previous generation chips | M1 2020 | M1 Max/M1 Ultra 2022 | Intel 2019 |
The answer to this is Bloomberg Mark Gurman also gave you related news, he originally obtained inside information at the beginning of this year that Apple is expected to launch the M3 Ultra Mac Studio this year, or Mac Pro, but just after the launch of the M4, based on the following two factors, it seems that Apple will not release the M3 Ultra chip for the next generation of Mac Studio models.
Reason 1: The M3 Max does not have the architecture of UltraFusion
The current M2 Ultra is made of two M2 Max bare dies using Apple's custom packaging technology, UltraFusion, so that the two Max chips can exert Ultra performance, but the M3 Max is not equipped with UltraFusion architecture, so the M3 Ultra is not made by merging two processors.
Reason 2: The M4 chip has been launched with Apple's fastest neural network engine ever
Apple has launched the latest M4 chip, which is built with the second generation of 3nm technology, not only considers itself the fastest neural network engine in history, but also a chip that is very suitable for executing the latest AI applications, and the energy saving effect is more powerful than before, so Apple in order to try to catch up with the footsteps of AI artificial intelligence, directly use M4 as the next generation of upgrade planning, it seems more likely, plus TSMC's production capacity is fixed, they are already mass-producing M4 chips for Apple, It is unlikely that there will be any more capacity to process M3 crystals.
So if the guess line is the same, the Mac mini, Mac Studio, and Mac Pro will skip the M3 chip and become the devices that use the M4 chip.
The "probable" schedule for the next Mac update
As Apple's most powerful M4 chip, the first device to be equipped is only the iPad Pro, which has not yet been put into any Mac computer, what will Apple's next Mac update plan be? Here's a look at the likely timing of the next update of the M4 chip on Mac computers, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman:
► By the end of 2024
The following two versions that are currently on sale are equipped with the M3 basic chip, which is suitable for daily use, so after the update, it should also use the basic version of the M4 chip.
- 入门款的14 吋MacBook Pro
- 24-inch iMac
► 2024 年底或2025 年初
- M4 Pro/Max 的高阶款14 吋MacBook Pro /16 吋MacBook Pro
- M4/M4 Pro 版本的Mac mini
► In 2025
- 13 吋和15 吋MacBook Air
- M4 Max/Ultra 的Mac Studio
- M4 Ultra 的Mac Pro
summary
The M4 chip, which uses TSMC's second-generation three-nanometer process technology, is Apple's most proud super AI chip, and Apple has let it be used in the new iPad Pro first, demonstrating the powerful technology brought by the chip, and successfully attracting the attention of the market and the media. It will not be known until the end of 2024 at the earliest.
Therefore, if you have a plan to buy a desktop Mac mini, Mac Studio, or Mac Pro in a short period of time, you must choose the M2 series version.