New MacBook Pros Gain M4 Chips, 12MP Center Stage Camera, and Thunderbolt 5

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Originally published at: New MacBook Pros Gain M4 Chips, 12MP Center Stage Camera, and Thunderbolt 5 - TidBITS

Although Apple spread its Mac hardware announcements over three days, you can still detect a progression that culminates with the final announcement of the new MacBook Pro models.

First, Apple unveiled the iMac with the M4 chip, 12-megapixel Center Stage camera, and nano-texture glass option (see “New 24-inch iMac Upgraded with M4 Chip,” 28 October 2024). Then it rolled out a new Mac mini with either an M4 or an M4 Pro, and when configured with the M4 Pro, Thunderbolt 5 ports (see “Smaller Mac mini Powered by M4 and M4 Pro Chips,” 29 October 2024). And now we get the MacBook Pro with all of those things: an M4, M4 Pro, or M4 Max chip, a 12-megapixel Center Stage camera, a nano-texture glass option, and Thunderbolt 5 on the M4 Pro and M4 Max models. Watch Apple’s intro video on the MacBook Pro page for all the geeky goodness—and don’t miss the clever gag in the final two minutes.

Apple made no changes to the industrial design of the 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models, apart from a single, welcome addition I’ll explain shortly. They remain available in silver and space black, with pricing for the 14-inch model starting at $1599 and the 16-inch model at $2499, the same as the previous models. However, those prices are very much starting points, given the many build-to-order options available. You can place pre-orders now with delivery and in-store availability on 8 November 2024.

M4 MacBook Pro spec card

Let’s dive into the key specs and note important changes:

  • M4, M4 Pro, and M4 Max chips: Apple provides a dizzying array of choices here, but the important takeaway is that the M4 and lower-end M4 Pro are available only in the 14-inch model, making it more appropriate for those on the lower edge of what Apple considers a “pro” user. I suspect most people decide between the more powerful chips based primarily on budget.
  • Memory: Because Apple silicon uses unified memory that’s part of the chip, the memory choices are equally as dizzying. Once you pick your desired chip, you can choose among two or three memory configurations with tiers of 16, 24, 36, 48, 64, and 128 GB. Notably, the M4 14-inch MacBook Pro now starts at 16 GB, and the unusual 18 GB and 96 GB levels in the previous M3 family have disappeared. More memory is important for Apple Intelligence, but we don’t yet know to what extent.
  • Storage: The base-level M4 14-inch MacBook Pro ships with 512 GB of storage and can be expanded to 1 TB or 2 TB. All M4 Pro models add a 4 TB tier (but not the 8 GB tier available for the M4 Pro Mac mini, oddly), and the M4 Max models start at 1 TB and add that 8 TB tier. To an extent, this is all moot because Apple’s storage prices are sky-high: you can buy an external 8 TB SSD for $500–$600, compared with Apple’s $2200, and it’s easy to find SSDs under $75 per terabyte.
  • Connectivity: Here’s the sole physical change in the M4 14-inch MacBook Pro. The M4 14-inch MacBook Pro now includes three Thunderbolt 4 ports—a step up from the previous model, which had only two “Thunderbolt / USB 4” ports. The M4 Pro and M4 Max versions offer Thunderbolt 5 ports for faster data transfer with high-performance peripherals.
  • 12MP Center Stage camera: Apple’s laptops had weak 720p webcams for many years. While the company eventually upgraded to 1080p FaceTime HD cameras, these new MacBook Pros join the rest of Apple’s lineup with 12-megapixel cameras that support Center Stage for better video calls.
  • Improved display: While the Liquid Retina XDR displays built into the MacBook Pro models retain the same 14.2-inch and 16.2-inch sizes and native resolutions, Apple increased the brightness from 600 nits to 1000 nits for outdoor viewing. For $150, you can add a nano-texture glass option that reduces glare and reflections—it’s probably worthwhile if you regularly work outside.
  • Display support: The new capabilities of the M4 chip show up here too. The M3 version of the 14-inch MacBook Pro could only drive two displays if you closed the lid. The M4 (and M4 Pro) version can handle two external displays without closing the lid. The M4 Max continues to support up to four external displays.

Frankly, I see nothing to criticize with this new line of MacBook Pro models beyond Apple’s premium pricing. (More ports are always welcome, but hard to fit into the svelte package.) It’s not that these new models are more expensive than before—you get more memory, a better webcam, and brighter screens for the same prices. But processing power doesn’t come cheap, and Apple charges premium prices for memory and storage upgrades. A tricked-out 16-inch MacBook Pro would set you back a stratospheric $7349. But these are glorious machines, and if you need power and portability, Apple has a MacBook Pro for you.

Personally, I’m most intrigued by the 14-inch MacBook Pro with the base-level M4 chip because it can drive a pair of external displays. I rely on two 27-inch displays, but until now, that would have required either an expensive M2 Pro-level machine or closing the lid on an M3 MacBook Pro or M3 MacBook Air. With my 2020 27-inch iMac unable to help me test and document Apple Intelligence features, it’s time to ponder an M4 replacement. The low cost of the Mac mini is compelling, but that practicality has to compete with the portability and extra screen of the 14-inch MacBook Pro. Decisions, decisions!

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I’m eyeing the 14 inch M4 Pro hungrily. That extra Thunderbolt port makes a big difference in my use case.

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I put in an order this morning right after the announcement for the high-end Pro 14" in silver of course. I look forward to seeing TB5 provide for really fast external flash. My M1 Pro has served me very well, but it’s now 3 years old so that gives me an excuse to swap it. In terms of excuses, I’m also really looking forward to the new Nano-texture display option. Despite really enjoying the 14" MBP’s screen, I’ve always disliked the added glare ever since I swapped my matte 15" Al MBP for my first 15" unibody MBP all the way back in 2008. I’m anxious how the new nano surface along with the brighter display fare in these sunny parts. Next Fri I’ll know. :slight_smile:

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6 posts were split to a new topic: Adam’s replacement for a 27-inch iMac with 27-inch Thunderbolt Display

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A MacBook Air upgrade was announced at the end of the presentation. The M2 and base M3 versions now come with at least 16GB of memory with no increase in price.

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  • M4, M4 Pro, and M4 Max chips: Apple provides a dizzying array of choices here, but the important takeaways are that the M4 and lower-end M4 Pro are available only in the 14-inch model, making it more appropriate for those on the edge of what Apple considers a “pro” user. On the other end of the spectrum, the higher-end M4 Max with 16 CPU cores and 40 GPU is available only in the 16-inch model. I suspect most people decide between the more powerful chips based primarily on budget.

The 14in can be built-to-order configured with the 40-core M4 Max as well; there’s just no standard configuration that features it.

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Holy cow. These new M4s are beasts.

M4 Pro beats out M2 Ultra. Impressive that a $1599 Mac mini can beat the $3999 Studio. Well, strictly it’s $2399 for the mini to match the Studio’s RAM/SSD, but point remains. For all the Mac Studio fans, it’s going to be a long wait until the 2Q25 M4 Ultra update.

And BTW, if that wasn’t impressive enough, M4 Max is another 20% faster than M4 Pro.

Sure, it’s all just Geekbench multicore (source), but this is a very encouraging sign.

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I did say it was dizzying! :-)

Fixed in the article now…

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The new laptops also for the first time offer options for Hebrew and Ukrainian keyboards.

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And, if reports are to be believed, the M4 Max is the first production CPU to score over 4000 on Geekbench, putting it head-and-shoulders above the competition. No wonder they’re moving all their Macs to this iteration!

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Jason Snell’s review.

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Got my new M4P 14" MBP yesterday. Set it up today. It’s a beast indeed. 6.3 Gbps write speed to its flash. Looking forward to trying my first TB5 SSD. I’m very happy with the nano texture display so far. Side by side with my M1P 14" MBP the difference in glare is quiet extreme. When the nano texture screen is off, the diplay actually looks quite matte, and I was wondering if it was too much. But as soon as the display comes on and shows images, it’s absolutely gorgeous. Took it out on my deck in the afternoon, blue sky and lots of sunshine. Glare is notably better and indeed you notice how it’s even brighter than the M1P from 2021.

The brightness can also be cranked down quite a bit lower than before. I really look forward to using this when I work on something in bed late at night and my wife wants to sleep.

The new 12MP webcam and Center Stage is neat for Zoom calls. Now I can adjust the screen so that I get the perfect angle for viewing my display, but the person on the other end of the call still gets my image nice and centered.

Migration Assistant does as usual a spectacular job. I always end up finding these very few little things that somehow just don’t migrate properly. This time it affected showing the percentage next to the menu bar battery icon and tap to click. In both cases, the on setting (which I guess isn’t default) didn’t migrate. Odd. But everything important that matters came over just fine.

Well done, Apple. :+1: :slight_smile:

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A few more observations with this new M4P 14" MBP.

  • It arrived with 15.0. After MA had done its thing I was prompted that updates were available and sure enough, 15.1 sat right there ready for download and install. I recall many years ago (2011?) MA refused to migrate from an “old” Mac to a new Mac because on the old I had just installed a dot update two days before the new Mac arrived. I first had to update the new Mac (which then led to a UID mess after MA, which is why I still remember the incident) until MA was willing to migrate. Apparently MA is much less picky these days — it migrated my fully up-to-date 15.1 M1P to the out-of-the-box 15.0 M4P without any qualms.

  • MA did not appear to use the TB4 cable I had connected though and instead used my home wifi. I couldn’t say for 100% certain because I was out while it did its thing so hard to tell if it ran for 50 min or just 10 min. But its window did say something about using my home wifi (which is fortunately pretty fast). I wonder if I had refused to select a wifi network on the new MBP if that would have forced TB4 or rather just ended up triggering wifi p2p which would have likely been slower.

  • Trackpad feels better and gives better haptic feedback. With my old M1P 14" MBP I sometimes just wasn’t 100% sure if I had actually tapped the trackpad. No more. The feedback on the new trackpad is strong and clear. Love it. Now, I’m left wondering if that’s because Apple actually improved something or if it’s just because it’s brand new and I had mashed too much on the old over the 3 years of heavy use I put on it. :face_with_monocle: :laughing:

(And is it just me or is there no Haptics subsection in System Settings on Sequoia like there is in iOS?)

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If anyone with one of the new MBPs runs Lightroom Classic…a report on whether it’s any faster than the M1 or whatever older processor as far as tasks like import, export, DeNoise, or whatever else. I’m primarily interested in comparisons to a 14 M1 Pro model but comparisons with M2 or M3 would work too since there are YouTube comparisons of. those models with the M1 and I can extrapolate.

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My belt-and-suspenders approach to migrating to a new machine involved first performing a preliminary run. I would go through all the installation steps, rejecting all the add-ons and connections. I would then allow the machine to upgrade the system. The next step was to reset the machine, erasing all data and settings. I would then proceed with the actual complete setup and migration, avoiding the UID mess.

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I don’t disagree with any of that, @aforkosh. Sounds to me like a cautious and thorough approach that should succeed no matter what.

I didn’t have much time yesterday and figured I’d wing it. :wink: I guess I got lucky.

I’m still a bit surprised that MA didn’t mind migrating from a newer to an older macOS. Perhaps it just cares about major revisions these days.

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And another few, although these probably have more to do with MA than with the new MBP.

  • It appears MA doesn’t preserve BT pairings. Had to pair up my KBs and mice at work with this new MBP from scratch. Not a big deal, but also something that would have been nice to preserve. AirPods by virtue of their iCloud integration obviously already migrate just fine.

  • It appears MA also does to migrate your various app privacy/security settings. Everybody needs to be re-enabled for access to screen, files, etc. Kind of a hassle if you consider MA has just migrated a complete install from one machine to another for the same authenticated user.

  • It also appears that all USB and TB peripherals also need to get re-enabled. At least for those of us that have that set in Sys Settings > Priv & Sec > Allow Accessories to Connect > Ask for New Accessories.

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I ordered a new MBP to replace my M1 14" only because I want the larger screen. The M4 Pro would have been more than adequate (as indeed is the M1 Pro) and has an hour or two more battery life, but 64 GB of RAM is only available with a Max, and if I’m buying a $5k laptop (4T SSD, because my 2TB is more than half full) it needs to last five years.

I don’t use my current MBP outside much, but I do use it in coffee shops regularly and 500 nit SDR means I need to choose seating to avoid the sun shining on the display. With the new display and nanotexture coating, that won’t be an issue. The improvements don’t quite justify an upgrade for me by themselves, but they do make me feel better about dropping all that wonga.

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That may be difficult or impossible for Apple to do.

The Bluetooth protocols pair devices by their MAC addresses and as a part of the process, encryption keys are generated. You shouldn’t be able to copy those keys to a new device, since doing so would undermine the point of pairing. And in order to generate new keys, you’d have to go through the pairing process yourself.

I also don’t know where Apple stores the Bluetooth pairing information. If it (or critical parts of it) are stored in the secure enclave, then there should not be any way to copy that data for installation onto another computer.

But technical issues aside, I’m also not sure you would really want to. Imagine a different scenario, where you’re not retiring the old computer. You would want your keyboard and mouse to remain paired with the original computer.

Again, it’s not surprising. This security data is stored in protected locations, and it’s not intuitively obvious if a user will want to migrate all, some or none of those settings. Especially since the usage of the computer may not be the same as the original. Again, imagine a situation where both computers remain in use instead of one replacing the other. Especially if one is a desktop and the other is a laptop.

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Your comment reminded me about the SDXC card slot on the MBP. I don’t often see recommendations for using it for additional storage, but to me it’s been almost magical. I’ve been using the flush-mount Transcend JetDrive Lite 330 card for some time. And “flush-mount” is not hype; you can barely detect it even when running your finger along the edge.

It’s certainly not a speed-demon compared to the internal SSD, but for selectively offloading files that you want to always have with you while travelling, it’s a very economical source of additional storage. For example, I use it for my Photos library, and have not noticed any performance issues.

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