Apple Accelerates M4 Processor Releases In Response To Dropping Sales
Just 5 months ago, Apple released the first 3rd generation Apple silicon equipped computers, and we now learn that it is accelerating the release timetable for the M4 chips to try and turn around falling sales for Mac computers. It also may mean they won’t release M3 versions of some products. We have the details.
Falling Sales Of Apple Mac Sales
Apple Revenue from Mac Sales courtesy of Cult of Mac
Following a peak in 2022 Apple has seen a 27% fall in their last financial year, which ended in September, of Mac computers, despite their successive iterations of their Apple silicon SoCs. It has been reported that the M3 release, which came in the current fiscal year didn’t do much to lift sales as the performance improvements were not significant.
AI And New Chips Coming Soon
Apple has also been playing catch up with the likes of Microsoft and Google and because AI will need significantly more processing power, Apple is bringing forward the next generation of Apple silicon.
We understand that Apple is planning three variants of the M4 chips.
The base model codenamed Donan.
A higher end model codenamed Brava, which is intended to replace the M3 Pro and M3 Max chips.
A top end model, codenamed Hidra, to replace the the M2 Ultra. There is some speculation that Apple may skip the M3 Ultra, although it is reported that it does exist internally, and go from the M2 Ultra, straight to an M4 Ultra.
Surprisingly the M4 developments could see Apple move its entire range to the next generation of chips. Don’t forget that there was never an M1 powered Mac Pro, or an M2 power iMac and it looks we won’t see an M3 Ultra Mac Studio or an M3 Mac Pro.
Mark Gurman in his latest Power On newsletter outlined what he understands are Apple’s current plans for M4 powered Mac computers…
A low-end 14-inch MacBook Pro with the M4, coming around the end of 2024.
A 24-inch iMac with the M4, also expected around the end of the year.
New 14-inch and 16-inch high-end MacBook Pros with M4 Pro/Max chips, due between the end of 2024 and early 2025.
A Mac mini in both M4 and M4 Pro configurations, coming between the end of 2024 and early 2025.
New 13-inch and 15-inch MacBook Airs, slated for around spring 2025.
A Mac Studio with a high-end M4 chip, coming around the middle of 2025.
A Mac Pro with an M4 Ultra chip, due in the second half of 2025.
In terms of studio computers, this would mean we won’t see a new version of the popular Mac Studio for another 12 to 18 months and even longer before we will see a new version of the Mac Pro.
Is this a problem or are you getting enough power from Apple’s existing models?