Apple is developing an advanced fourth-generation Apple Silicon chip for the Mac lineup, with the first M4 Mac models expected to launch in 2024.
What will they include?
M4 Chip
The 13-inch and 15-inch MacBook Air were recently updated with the M3 chip in March 2024, so it's expected that these won't be the first models to get the new M4 chip. Apple plans to delay the introduction of the M4 chip until 2025, creating a gap of about a year between the upgrade from the M3 chip to the M4.
See also: Will the new iPad Pro really have the M4 Chip?
The M4 chip is rumored to focus on artificial intelligence to support AI coming with the next round of software updates. Most of the talk about AI has centered around iOS 18, but Apple is expected to integrate AI across all of its platforms. The M4 chip is expected to have a Neural Engine with more cores, with the Neural Engine handling AI and machine learning tasks. The M3 chip has a 16-core Neural Engine.
While Apple is developing the next-generation M4, M4 Pro, M4 Max, and M4 Ultra chips, the MacBook Air models are expected to feature the base M4 chip. It's likely that there will be at least two versions of the M4, distinguished primarily by the number of GPU cores they include. For example, in the current MacBook Air, the base M3 chip has an 8-core GPU, while there's also an option for a 10-core GPU. The M3 CPU remains the same across all variants, and that's expected to continue with the M4 chips.
The M4 will be built using technology , following in the footsteps of the M3. We don't expect to see the same significant performance increase between the M3 and M4 as we saw between the M2 and M3, due to the lack of change in node size. However, we still expect to see significant improvements in GPU and CPU speeds.
Appearance
Apple redesigned the MacBook Air in 2022, so we don't expect to see any major design changes with the next refresh in 2025. The company waits a few years to update the design, so there are no rumors of a refreshed look yet.
Apple seems set to keep the 15.3-inch and 13.6-inch sizes for its next devices, and is expected to continue offering the same level of elegance and design in the MacBook Pro, including the Force Touch trackpad. As for the MacBook Air update for 2025, everything indicates that it will focus more on internal improvements.
Read also: New Firmware Version for the USB-C Apple Pencil: What's Changing?
Release date
According to information from Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, it is expected that the MacBook Air will receive a major upgrade during the spring of 2025.
Source: macrumors
