Apple's Supply Chain Gears Up for MacBook Pro Models With M4 Chips

Apple's supply chain is gearing up for new MacBook Pro models with M4 chips, which are expected to be announced this month, according to DigiTimes.

"Apple is expected to unveil new MacBook Pro models equipped with the latest M4 chip in October, which could boost related component shipments," says the paywalled report, published today. "This trend is evident in the revenue reports from component manufacturers such as Jarllytec and Shin Zu Shing for September."

Bloomberg's Mark Gurman previously reported that Apple plans to announce its first Macs with M4 series chips this year, including a 14-inch MacBook Pro with the M4 chip, 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models with M4 Pro and M4 Max chips, an iMac with the M4 chip, and a redesigned Mac mini with M4 and M4 Pro chips. Apple already debuted the M4 chip in the iPad Pro earlier this year, but it has yet to announce the M4 Pro and M4 Max chips.

The entry-level 14-inch MacBook Pro with the M4 chip seemingly already leaked in Russia in recent weeks, and those leaks revealed that the MacBook Pro lineup might finally start with 16GB of RAM instead of 8GB. The leaked 14-inch MacBook Pro has no major external design changes, but it does appear to have an additional, third Thunderbolt 4 port compared to the current entry-level model with two Thunderbolt 3 ports.

It is currently not entirely clear if Apple plans to announce the first Macs with M4 chips at a virtual event this month, or with press releases only. Yesterday, Apple announced a new iPad mini with Apple Intelligence support in a press release.

In any case, it appears that new Macs are just around the corner.