Photo: Apple
Following the launches of the new iMac and Mac mini, Apple announced the refreshed MacBook Pro with the choice of an M4, M4 Pro, or M4 Max chip. The base model addresses criticisms of last year's M3 model. It now gets 16GB of memory instead of the paltry 8GB (at least for a pro-centric laptop). We may have the inclusion of Apple Intelligence to thank for this change. But we welcome it nonetheless.
Aside from introducing a minimum of 16GB memory, the base MacBook Pro comes with three Thunderbolt 4 ports instead of two and it's now available in black. If you pick up the more expensive M4 Pro or Max options, you get faster chips and ports. Apple brings Thunderbolt 5 to the MacBook for the first time.
The three M4 chips feature second-generation three-nanometer technology for better performance and power efficiency. Apple claims it's the world's fastest CPU core. And it promises these new laptops can offer up to 24 hours of battery life.
Photo: Apple
All new variants get the Liquid Retina XDR display with up to 1,000 nits of brightness. They also get the option for the new nano-texture display to reduce glare. As mentioned, Apple Intelligence is coming via macOS Sequoia, giving you access to the new Writing Tools and upgraded Siri. The base model only comes with a 14-inch screen, while the Pro and Max options have a 16-inch display option.
The Apple MacBook Pro series is available for pre-order and will arrive in stores starting November 8. The 14-inch base model starts at $2,099 in Canada, while the 14-inch M4 Pro and Max variants start at $2,699 and the 16-inch options start at $3,299.