Packaging Leak Hints New M4 MacBook Pro Could Start at 16 GB RAM
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Although there’s already plenty of evidence to suggest that Apple will unveil a new lineup of M4-powered MacBooks next month, a leaked photo that appeared over the weekend has provided a few new hints on what we could expect.
Apple seems to be settling into a comfortable annual release cycle for its new Apple silicon-powered Macs. Last year’s M3 MacBook Pro lineup arrived in late October at a unique evening event dubbed Scary Fast, and we’ve been hearing since April that Apple plans to follow a similar timeline for the next generation of MacBook Pro models. Apple unveiled its latest M4 chip in the new iPad Pro earlier this year, adding extra weight to the belief that new Macs can’t be far behind.
Nevertheless, while it’s nearly certain that we’ll see new M4 MacBooks in the coming weeks, little else has been revealed about what we can expect from them beyond the M4 chip. Some believe the lack of detail indicates Apple plans to follow its usual playbook, offering few to no upgrades beyond the beefed-up silicon. That’s not to say that each new generation of M-series chip doesn’t offer some nice enhancements, but the rest of the MacBook Pro hardware has remained mostly the same from the M1 Pro/Max to the M3 Pro/Max.
Of course, there’s something to be said for not arguing with success. The 2021 M1 Pro/Max MacBook Pro models got a significant new redesign, and that’s not something that happens very often in the life of a MacBook Pro. We’re arguably not due for another big overhaul anytime soon.
Nevertheless, a photo purporting to show the outside packaging for the new M4 MacBook Pro lends some credibility to recent rumors that Apple may have finally conceded that 8 GB RAM isn’t enough for a high-end MacBook — especially in an era of Apple Intelligence.
The provenance of the photo, which was shared by ShrimpApplePro, hasn’t been confirmed, and even the leaker has suggested we take it with some skepticism. It’s entirely possible it could be altogether fake or a legitimate leak of counterfeit packaging.
The packaging label in the image shows an entry-level MacBook Pro with an M4 chip (not an M4 Pro or M4 Max), with “16GB memory” and “512GB storage.” It also lists three Thunderbolt ports, which would be an upgrade from the two ports on last year’s M3 MacBook Pro.
Although it’s long been possible to configure any MacBook Pro to order (CTO) with higher RAM and storage capacities, the packaging wouldn’t likely be for a CTO version before the new models have even been announced. If the photo is of legitimate Apple packaging, it represents a standard configuration that doesn’t exist in the M3 MacBook Pro lineup.
The M3 MacBook Pro does have 16 GB off-the-shelf models, but these all come with 1 TB of storage. The base model has a 512 GB SSD but only 8 GB of RAM. While it’s possible Apple could offer an “in-between” configuration with 16 GB RAM and a 512 GB SSD, it seems more plausible that this represents the new base model.
An increase in the base model RAM would be a welcome change, and it may not be that far-fetched. We’ve already heard reliable reports of 16 GB base RAM from Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, and Apple’s higher-end M-series Pro/Max MacBook Pro models have always started with at least 16 GB of RAM and 512 GB of storage, so it could be time to take that next step with the base model.
When Apple retired the legacy 13-inch M1/M2 MacBook Pro in favor of a new entry-level 14-inch M3 MacBook Pro last year, it also dropped the 256 GB storage option, bringing the latest model up to the same standard as the premium versions. However, it left the entry-level model with 8 GB of RAM while the higher-end versions got 18 GB (the extra 2 GB being a function of the new M3 Pro/Max chips).
While the M4 chip used in the iPad Pro still starts at 8 GB of RAM, the higher-end 1 TB and 2 TB models get 16 GB of RAM, so it’s possible Apple could choose to use these configurations of the M4 chip for the 14-inch MacBook Pro, saving the 8 GB version for the iPad Pro and the M4 MacBook Air models that are expected to arrive early next year.
[The information provided in this article has NOT been confirmed by Apple and may be speculation. Provided details may not be factual. Take all rumors, tech or otherwise, with a grain of salt.]
