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Apple is continuing its week of announcements by revealing the latest MacBook Pro lineup, as well as its new top-of-the-line chip. The M4 Max has a 40-core GPU double the number of cores found in the M4 Pro that the company revealed this week. It has a 16-core GPU with 12 performance and four efficiency cores and a 16-core neural engine that's said to be three times faster than the one on the M1 chip. The M4 Max supports up to 128GB of RAM with what Apple claims is 30 percent more memory bandwidth than the M3 Max offers. The GPU is said to have faster cores and a ray-tracing engine that's twice as fast as the M3 chips. Apple claims the neural engine is up to twice as fast as the one on the previous-generation chipsets as well. In addition, Apple says the CPU is up to 2.2 times faster than the one in the M1 Max. As with the M4 and M4 Pro, the M4 Max is built on second-gen 3nm tech to bolster power efficiency and performance. Like the M4 Pro (which can be used to power the new Mac mini), the M4 Max supports Thunderbolt 5, which should make it faster to move files around as it has a data transfer capacity of up to 120GB per second. And, as with all of Apple's other M-series Macs, devices running on the M4 Max will support Apple Intelligence features.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/computing/apple-unveils-its-top-of-the-line-m4-max-chip-150241987.html?src=rss
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Not that it's a huge surprise after Apple's week of M4 upgrades first with the 24-inch iMac, then the adorable new Mac mini but today the company is also bringing its M4 chips to the 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro. And, in addition to the base M4 chip and the M4 Pro, they can also be configured with the newly announced M4 Max. Apple isn't sneaking in any major tweaks this time around, aside from bringing over the Space Black color option to the 14-inch MacBook Pro. Still, the internal upgrades should be compelling for anyone with an M1 MacBook Pro or an older Intel model. Just like with the M4 iMac and Mac mini, Apple is also making 16GB of RAM the default for the $1,599 14-inch MacBook Pro (fixing one of our biggest issues with that model). You can thank Apple Intelligence for that memory bump, even if you don't give a lick about AI. Apple Apple isn't saying much about the M4 Max chip yet, but we know it'll feature up to a 16-core CPU (12 performance cores and 4 efficiency cores), and a 40-core GPU. In comparison, the M4 Pro sports a 14-core CPU and 20-core GPU, while the plain M4 chip comes with either 8 or 10 cores alongside a 10-core graphics chip. The M4 Max chip also supports up to 128GB of RAM with 30 percent more memory bandwidth than the M3 Max. As for other upgrades, the M4 Pro and M4 Max MacBook Pros will also include three Thunderbolt 5 USB-C ports, just like the M4 Pro-equipped Mac mini. If you're constantly moving enormous files around, that alone could be a reason to step up, since Thunderbolt 5 can support up to 80 Gbps speeds (it can also reach up to 120 Gbps with its Bandwidth Boost feature). That's a huge step up from 40 Gbps limit of Thunderbolt 3 and 4, and it also opens the door for better external GPU support, as well as powerful AI accelerators. Apple The new MacBook Pros have slightly brighter screens which can reach up to 1,000 nits of SDR brightness (compared to 600 nits before), and there's also a nano-texture display option. That feature is mainly meant for people working in very bright environments or direct sunlight, as it drastically reduces glare. Both machines are also getting 12MP Center Stage webcams, a huge upgrade over the previous 1080p cameras. The 14-inch M4 MacBook Pro still starts at $1,599 ($1,499 for education customers), while the M4 Pro model starts at $1,999 ($1,849 for education). The 16-inch MacBook Pro, meanwhile, still starts at $2,499 ($2,299 for education customers). You can pre-order both laptops today, and they'll be in stores on November 8. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/computing/laptops/apples-macbook-pros-get-an-m4-upgrade-including-the-new-m4-max-chip-150055208.html?src=rss
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No, Apple isn't stuffing an M4 chip into the MacBook Air lineup just yet, but it is giving the ultraportables a healthy memory bump. Starting today, every M2 and M3-equipped MacBook Air will come with 16GB of RAM by default, making them better equipped for multitasking and memory-hungry Apple Intelligence features. Thankfully, Apple isn't changing its pricing: The M2 model still starts at $999, while the 13-inch M3 MacBook Air goes for $1,099 and the 15-inch variant runs for $1,299. (It's no wonder we've seen the 8GB systems drop as low as $700.) You'll still have to live with a paltry 256GB of storage on all of the base MacBook Air systems, but hey, at least Apple is finally listening to our demands. We've long argued that it's worth bumping up to 16GB of RAM for most laptops. That's particularly true for Apple Silicon systems, which have memory directly built into their SoCs (system on a chip) and can't expand their RAM down the line. You can thank AI as the main reason Apple and Microsoft (with Copilot+ AI PCs) are now pushing for 16GB of RAM. While Apple Intelligence requires 8GB of RAM to function, the company previously admitted it may not be enough to run the AI features in Xcode 16. As AI models grow and become more complex, their memory demands will only increase. More than ever, it pays to invest in as much RAM as you can up front. You can order the refreshed MacBook Airs with 16GB of RAM online today, and they should be available in stores soon. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/computing/laptops/every-macbook-air-now-starts-with-16gb-of-ram-at-no-extra-cost-150041320.html?src=rss
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