The latest edition of Bloomberg’s Power On newsletter features intriguing insights from reporter Mark Gurman. According to Gurman, Apple is gearing up to launch new Mac models powered by the M4 chip later this year. During the “Scary Fast” event in October, Apple unveiled new MacBook Pro and iMac models equipped with M3 chips, with the MacBook Pro now available in space black, silver, and space gray, offering resistance to sweat and fingerprints.
Gurman anticipates that the upcoming Apple product lineup will predominantly showcase the new M4 chip. Despite making its debut on the iPad Pro in May, the M4 chip has yet to be integrated into any Mac models.
Furthermore, Gurman predicts an update for the Mac mini later this year. This is significant given that the Mac mini did not adopt the M3 chip and was last updated in January 2023 with a relatively minor upgrade to the M2 Pro chip model.
The newsletter also sheds light on the anticipated significant design changes for at least one Mac model as part of the transition to the M4 chip. Since the shift to Apple Silicon, most of Apple’s Mac lineup has seen new designs, except for the Mac Pro and Mac mini.
The Mac Pro’s design has remained unchanged since its last refresh in 2022, which retained the same form as the 2019 model. This decision has sparked controversy, as the 2019 Mac Pro was designed for high modularity, allowing users to easily upgrade and replace internal components like graphics cards, RAM, and hard drives. However, this design may not be suitable for Apple Silicon, which integrates components differently from previous Intel chips, potentially impacting upgradability.