MacBook Pro 2024
Apple (Hacker News, MacRumors):
With M4, MacBook Pro is up to 1.8x faster than the 13-inch MacBook Pro with M1 for tasks like editing gigapixel photos, and even more demanding workloads like rendering complex scenes in Blender are up to 3.4x faster. With a Neural Engine that’s over 3x more powerful than in M1, it’s great for features in Apple Intelligence and other AI workloads. The M4 model also supports two high-resolution external displays in addition to the built-in display, and now features three Thunderbolt 4 ports so users can connect all their peripherals.
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The new MacBook Pro with M4 Pro is up to 3x faster than models with M1 Pro, speeding up workflows like geo mapping, structural engineering, and data modeling.
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With M4 Max, MacBook Pro delivers up to 3.5x the performance of M1 Max, ripping through heavy creative workloads like visual effects, 3D animation, and film scoring.
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The new MacBook Pro introduces an all-new nano-texture display option that dramatically reduces glare and distractions from reflections.
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MacBook Pro includes a new 12MP Center Stage camera that delivers enhanced video quality in challenging lighting conditions.
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MacBook Pro with M4 Pro and M4 Max features Thunderbolt 5 ports that more than double transfer speeds up to 120 Gb/s, enabling faster external storage, expansion chassis, and powerful docking and hub solutions.
The nano-texture display and its non-crazy price are my favorite news here. There are still only 3 Thunderbolt ports, whereas the Intel MacBook Pros had 4. If more Thunderbolt 5 ports are not possible, I wish they would add some USB-C ports, like with the Mac mini. I’d also still like to see a smaller trackpad.
I’m still quite happy with my M1 Pro MacBook Pro, except for when a Lightroom import destroys it. However, this is a tempting upgrade; I’m mainly put off by the RAM and SSD prices. I would probably get it if I used the internal display more.
Unlike last year, where only more expensive configurations gained access to the Space Black shade, this year all MacBook Pro models come in just Silver and Space Black, even the base M4 model.
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All three chip levels get a major webcam upgrade to the 12MP Center stage camera, which is the first Mac laptop webcam upgrade in quite a while. And Apple is claiming that all models can get up to 24 hours of battery life, which seems like a bit of a major milestone, even though (as always) battery life is not a simple thing to measure, and can vary widely based on how you use the computer in question.
The battery characteristics on the M4 vs M4 Pro vs M4 Max are interesting.
If you were hoping for a battery life upgrade like me from the M1 Pro, going for the M4 Max would not do very much.
Previously:
Update (2024-10-31): Joe Rossignol:
The new MacBook Pro models unveiled today feature display brightness enhancements in both bright outdoor lighting and low lighting.
Center Stage is available in video calling apps like FaceTime and Zoom. The feature was previously limited to newer iPad models and Macs connected to Apple's external Studio Display. The new MacBook Pro and iMac models are the first Macs to support Center Stage without needing to rely on a Studio Display.
I hope the video quality is better than on the Studio Display. The fact that the camera is 12MP doesn’t mean much if it’s only using part of the image.
The RAM ceiling for the Pro chip has technically increased to 64GB, but unfortunately it’s almost moot because, on the laptop, “64GB or 128GB available with M4 Max with 40-core GPU.” It’s an artificial limitation, the Mac mini doesn’t have the same constraint.
I would probably go for 64 GB instead of 48 GB if I could get it with the M4 Pro, but I don’t need or want the M4 Max.
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.
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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 MX Pro-level machine or closing the lid on an M3 MacBook Pro or M3 MacBook Air.
Best Buy is already providing early pre-order discounts exclusively to My Best Buy Plus and Total members at up to $150 off.
So $50-$150 off a brand new computer and members get AppleCare ($279-$399 value) included.
I’m still so curious how BestBuy can just advertise these prices as an Apple Premium Reseller.
Here’s an article from 2012 (LOL) talking about Apple’s advertised price rules retailers have to follow.
Clearly something changed.
Previously:
Update (2024-11-08): Tim Hardwick:
The first wave of reviews of Apple’s new M4-powered MacBook Pro models were published this morning. We’ve collected some of the latest impressions from YouTube channels and select media outlets below.
I’m happy to report that, as of now, the $1599 base-model 14-inch MacBook Pro really feels like a full member of the family.
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Laptops are designed to be portable. That means they can be used in uncontrollable conditions, and this display is more resilient in those situations. Of course, you may also be able to turn your chair to a different angle and solve the problem that way. It’s up to you to decide if you’d rather trade a little contrast for some dramatic glare reduction.
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With the M4, the MacBook Pro’s FaceTime camera has been upgraded from a 1080p model to a new 12MP Center Stage camera. I can hear the groans now, but here’s the thing: This isn’t the same sensor as in some previous Center Stage cameras. It seems better, though for whatever reason, it doesn’t look as good as the one in the M4 iMac.
The MacBook Pro has been very prone to glare over the years and would have to rely solely on pure brightness to overcome it. Now it has another tool in its arsenal although the implementation is slightly different than nano-texture has been on previous Apple devices like the Pro Display XDR and iPad Pro. While those two devices have a layer of glass which is then etched with the nano-texture, the MacBook Pro doesn’t use that same glass cover. The nano-texture is, therefore, instead embedded on the inside of the display. The effect is the same, or similar enough, and Apple includes its special polishing cloth too, but it’s not strictly “necessary” to use to clean the MacBook Pro display (although it is recommended).
In practice, the nano-texture display has, to me, no downsides. Indoors, I didn’t notice anything different about the display versus the M3 Max MacBook Pro from last year. Outside, in direct sunlight, is a different story.
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The M4 Max performs pretty much how we expected [with Lightroom]: it’s faster than the M3 Max, M4 Pro, and M1 Ultra, but slower than both a high-end PC and the M2 Ultra. It’s not much slower than those two desktop machines, however. It’s an excellent showing and is the fastest laptop we’ve ever tested.
Previously:
Update (2024-11-15): Juli Clover:
The M4 MacBook Pro models feature quantum dot display technology, according to display analyst Ross Young. Apple used a quantum dot film instead of a red KSF phosphor film, a change that provides more vibrant, accurate color results.
Update (2024-11-18): See also: Hacker News.
8 Comments RSS · Twitter · Mastodon
I use mine, when I use it at all, for a FitHeadless dongle. But I'd obviously rather not have to do that when needed, and yes, one more TB port would indeed be handy!
I absolutely love that there's an HDMI port. I visit clients a lot, and being able to plug straight in to a monitor, projector or TV is a game changer.
What I don't use is the MagSafe. Replace that with a good old fat USB port and it would be my perfect set up.
The HDMI port used to be important before USB-C, but now that so many devices ship with only USB-C, every drawer at every office has at least one or two USB-C dongles that can be used to connect to an HDMI screen.
One undervalued port is the SD Card slot, though. I always put in a shorty, flush SD Card reader and a 1TB card, and then move stuff like my downloads to that drive. Keeping my boot drive as empty as possible helps avoid the dreaded "your system has run out of application memory" popup.
Along with Plume's logic of how the SD Card slot can be helpful, I find using it as the Downloads folder is also an easy way to prevent temporary files from being captured by Time Machine.
I like reading about how differently we use our computers. Never ever have I seen a popup about application memory. Never ever have I had the time machine capture anything at all.
My Download folder is an absolute beast though, and I love the SD card slot since both me and my wife have dedicated cameras that we use quite often.
The HDMI to USBC dongles never work as well as plugging the HDMI straight into the laptop in my experience. E.g., the Belkin one I have at home won't output anything above 1080p. Several I've tried just won't connect, or require a magical ritual where the order of connecting the dongle, the cable to the dongle and trying to connect to the projector are of outmost importance.
@Kristoffer Yes, as with USB hubs/docks, the internal SD card slots and HDMI ports always seem be more reliable.
The "internal ports are more reliable" bit is one of the reasons why I'm annoyed Apple -- and then as expected everyone else -- started ditching all the ports. In the early 2010s when it was normal for your computer to have a variety of different useful ports, not the least of which was some kind of display port and an SD card reader, Apple had the advantage that their ports were pretty much always reliable. At least, that was my experience compared to Windows systems made with parts from a variety of different manufacturers that may or may not play nice with each other, and was certainly true compared to using USB or Thunderbolt hubs, dongles and so on.
Now I can't use any of my macs without some kind of Thunderbolt hub. I have too many things to connect, and not all of them are USB. And even with some of the more reputable companies and well regarded Thunderbolt or USB hubs, I still get weird issues. Just to name a few:
- The hub has a shaky connection and frequently disconnects and reconnects from my mac, taking all of its connected devices with it
- Plugging in a specific USB device to one specific port on a hub would cause it to rapidly power cycle for no reason
- A bluetooth receiver would have terrible connectivity on one port but not any of the others
- A game controller wireless receiver would not work at all on one port but not the others
- Windows wouldn't be able to boot from an external drive on one set of ports but not others
- An external keyboard wouldn't work at boot time on one set of ports but not others
I'm sure there's more I'm forgetting. These are the sorts of issues you rarely if ever encountered on internal ports on a mac. Turning everything into USB-C has resulted us in losing that reliability.
Also, don't even get me started on the debacle that is trying to figure out the capabilities of some random USB-C cable...
