Right now, everybody is focused on the upcoming launch of the Macs powered by the M4 chip. Apple has just shared that starting Monday, they will begin unveiling a range of announcements related to Macs, which will probably include some details about the M4 models.
High-End Variants
The more advanced M4 Pro and M4 Max versions are all set to enhance the MacBook Pro range. The newly designed Mac mini will feature the M4 and M4 Pro chips, while the 24-inch iMac refresh will stick to the regular M4 processor.
Speculation on the M5 SoC
However, talk about Apple's next-generation M5 chip has already started popping up online. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman suggests that the M5 could make its first appearance in a future iPad Pro, expected to launch toward the end of next year. It's quite intriguing that Apple might introduce its M-series technology in iPads before Macs, which may highlight the company’s increasing focus on efficiency rather than just performance.
Performance of the M4
This isn't to say that the M4 chip lacks power - it's an extremely fast chip that excels even in the slim 5.1 mm-thin iPad Pro. The M4 is over 20% quicker in both single-core and multi-core tasks compared to its predecessor, even with the limitations of a passively cooled system. In recently leaked benchmarks for the 14-inch MacBook Pro, the M4 significantly outperformed the Intel Core Ultra 9 288V, boasting a 60% advantage in multi-core tasks.
Little details are available about what the M5 might offer, as it’s still more than a year away. Additionally, compared to its other products, Apple’s progress in silicon is often kept under wraps. Keeping this in mind, we probably won't have much insight into the features of the M5 until it’s ready for announcement.
Mark Gurman, Bloomberg
