Skip to main content

The M4 Mac launch is incoming, but not how you might expect

The 14-inch MacBook Pro with M3 Max chip seen from behind.
Luke Larsen / Digital Trends

The past few months have been full of speculation, anticipation, and pretty wild rumors concerning the upcoming M4 Macs — and now the predicted release date of November 1 is just a week or so away. Despite the lack of an event announcement, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman still believes the launch is “imminent,” with an announcement reportedly coming on October 30.

According to him, Apple Stores are running very low on iMac, Mac mini, MacBook Pro, Magic Keyboard, Magic Mouse, and Magic Trackpad units — and this usually happens when updates are about to be released.

Recommended Videos

While most of the whispers lately have focused on the Mac lineup, it is true that hints about new peripherals have surfaced, too. It’s assumed that the new Magic Mouse, Magic Trackpad, and Magic Keyboard updates will mostly focus on the switch to USB-C. With any luck, Apple will also make a slight adjustment to the location of the Magic Mouse’s port and bring an end to the decade of ridicule the poor mouse has suffered through.

But turning back to the question of “when” this launch is coming — Gurman has also said on X (formerly Twitter) confirming a media event will take place in Los Angeles on October 30. According to the post, it seems like there won’t be a keynote, just product videos and press releases.

Apple is inviting media/creators at different appointment times throughout the day on 10/30 in my town of LA — they seemingly aren’t bringing a group together to watch a keynote video. So the announcement is online only (video and press releases), as I’ve been indicating. https://t.co/sVk6GjrVeC

— Mark Gurman (@markgurman) October 22, 2024

With this post, hope for a proper event seems almost definitely dead — and in some ways, this does make sense. After all, it’s true that the M4 chip has already been announced and has even launched with the latest iPad Pro, so perhaps an event isn’t strictly necessary.

On the other hand, the Mac mini is due for its first design overhaul in over a decade, so you might have thought Apple would want to show that off in a bit more detail. Plus, assuming the industry experts are correct, there are six product updates due to be announced, and that number in itself seems like enough of an excuse for an event.

Either way, everything should be made clear next Wednesday, and we’ll be sure to report the latest.

Willow Roberts
Former Computing Writer
Willow Roberts has been a Computing Writer at Digital Trends for a year and has been writing for about a decade. She has a…
Apple hid one of the best features of the M4 MacBook Pro
Someone using a MacBook Pro M4.

Apple's new M4 MacBook Pro is great. It earned a rare Editors' Choice badge in our M4 MacBook Pro review, and it's cemented itself as one of the best laptops you can buy. Even with so much going for it, Apple hid one of the most exciting developments it made with its new range of laptops -- the use of quantum dot technology.

Like the last few generations of MacBook Pro displays, the M4 range is using a mini-LED backlight. There's no tandem OLED like we saw on the iPad Pro earlier this year. However, according to Ross Young, CEO of Display Supply Chain Consultants (DSCC), Apple added a layer of quantum dots to the M4 MacBook Pro. This, according to the display expert, offers better color gamut and motion performance compared to the solution Apple previously used.

Read more
MacBook Air vs. MacBook Pro: how to easily decide which to buy
Apple's 15-inch MacBook Air placed on a desk with its lid closed.

When it comes to picking the best MacBook for you, the eternal debate between the MacBook Air and MacBook Pro rages on. Both laptops are at the top of their game right now, and that can sometimes make the decision between the two even trickier, especially when you consider the timing.

Choosing between options as extreme as the 16-inch MacBook M4 Pro and an M1 MacBook Air isn't where the problems lie. It's probably obvious which of those is right for you based on the thousands of dollars separating the two.

Read more
M4 vs. M3: How much better are Apple’s latest chips?
An official rendering of the Apple M4 chip.

Apple has begun outfitting its Macs with the M4 chip, following the chip’s debut in the iPad Pro in spring 2024. But not every Mac comes with the M4 -- several are still sporting the previous-generation M3, which offers impressive performance in its own right, and appears in the best MacBooks and Macs. These devices are expected to make the switch over the coming months.

That means there’s a split between M3 Macs and their M4 siblings, and the big question is whether you should upgrade. Is the M4 a large upgrade over the M3, or will you be fine sticking with the older chip? What sort of performance do the M3 and M4 offer, and how do they work under the hood? We’ve analyzed all the similarities and differences so that you know exactly what you should buy.
Where can you find these chips?

Read more