Get Ready for a Week of Mac on Monday
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It doesn’t look like Apple plans to reprise anything like its Scary Fast event of 2023 to launch this year’s new M4 Macs, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t still coming by the end of the month.
Earlier today, Greg Joswiak, Apple’s Senior VP of Worldwide Marketing, told everyone to “Mac your calendars” for an “exciting week of announcements ahead.”
Not only does this suggest that Apple won’t have a special event to unveil the new Macs, but since Joz said it’s “starting” on Monday, the company will announce new products in a staged approach. That most likely means one new press release each day until all is said and done.
Had Apple been planning an October press event, it would typically be sending invites out today, since we’re one week away from October 31st. Last year’s Scary Fast event was announced on October 24th and held on October 30. Joz’s tweet comes in lieu of such an invite, making it pretty clear to the press that we’re getting quieter newsroom announcements instead.
If rumors are accurate, there’s quite a bit coming, so daily releases aren’t all that far-fetched. Here’s what we’re expecting.
The M4 MacBook Pro Lineup
The highlight of next week will almost certainly be Apple’s new MacBook Pro lineup, which will get the M4 treatment across the board. These are Apple’s flagship Macs, so it’s reasonable to assume they’ll be the most prominent announcement, but it’s an open question whether Apple will lead with those on Monday or save them as a sort of grand finale.
While there are no design changes anticipated, expect both the 14-inch and 16-inch MacBooks to be updated from last year’s M3 models to the new M4 chips. We’ll likely see the lineup retain its current form with an entry-level M4 14-inch MacBook Pro joined by the more powerful M4 Pro and M4 Max versions of the 14-inch and 16-inch models.
The M4 Pro and Max chips may get beefed-up specs, and possibly even new names. However, the real winner here could be the base M4 model, which is rumored to finally be getting a bump to 16 GB RAM and a 512 GB SSD at the entry-level price point. It’s also expected to gain an extra Thunderbolt 4 port, matching the specs of its more powerful Pro and Max siblings.
An All-New M4 Mac mini
Although the MacBooks Pro are Apple’s pride and joy, the dark horse in next week’s announcement will undoubtedly be the M4 Mac mini. That’s because Apple is reportedly giving it the most significant redesign we’ve seen in over a decade.
By all reports, the new M4 Mac mini will shrink its footprint to the size of an Apple TV. While it’s likely to be made from aluminum and end up taller than Apple’s streaming box, it will still be the smallest Mac ever made.
It will also be a notable upgrade for Apple’s most affordable Mac in more than just the design. The Mac mini was last refreshed with M2 chips over two years ago and skipped the M3 generation entirely. The M4 chip will be quite a boost in speed for fans of the Mac mini, and there’s every reason to believe Apple will also sell it in both M4 and M4 Pro versions. We’re hoping they’ll also both start at 16 GB of RAM.
The M4 iMac
Last year’s Scary Fast event also saw the debut of Apple’s second-generation Apple Silicon iMac, moving from the original M1 model of early 2021 to a much more powerful M3 chip. However, that was about the only thing that changed. Apple didn’t even change up the colors or update the accessories; despite the iPhone 15’s groundbreaking switch to USB-C the month before, the Magic Keyboard, Magic Trackpad, and Magic Mouse all came with Lightning ports.
Sadly, we can’t say we’re expecting much more from this year’s M4 iMac. There’s a possibility Apple could do something with the color palette, although with a full spectrum of seven shades available, there may not be much room for change. Ditto for the design. This is one situation where there’s really no need to make a change merely for the sake of change.
Still, Apple could surprise us by beefing up some other specs, perhaps adding an M4 Pro version or at least increasing the base RAM on the entry-level M4 model to 16 GB and tossing in a 512 GB SSD. Last year’s model also featured a binned M3 chip, so we’ll have to wait and see if Apple does the same with the M4 this time around.
Magic Accessories with USB-C
The bigger change for the iMac is that Apple may finally ditch the Lightning port on its Mac accessories — one of the few remaining places where you’ll find its legacy, proprietary port — and embrace USB-C for those.
These accessories are bundled with Apple’s iMac, but they’re also sold separately as options for other Macs. The Mac mini comes with nothing more than a power cable, letting you add a keyboard, monitor, and pointing device of your choice. Apple’s MacBooks don’t technically need any of these accessories, although they’re commonly purchased by those who like to work on larger screens at a desk with their MacBook lid closed.
