While the Apple M3 chip is still relatively new, the Cupertino-based tech giant appears to be preparing to refresh its entire Mac series with the Apple M4 processor.

The news comes from Bloomberg reporter and Apple informant Mark Gurman. According to his source, there are "at least three major types" of M4 processors and they are "nearing production." Apparently, the new chip will "emphasize" artificial intelligence capabilities and will no doubt be designed to compete with the "AI laptops" on the market.

Apple plans to release its first M4-powered computers by the end of 2024, with more to follow in early 2025. This will include the new iMac, MacBook Pro, Mac mini, and MacBook Air. A new Mac Studio and Mac Pro are also expected.

Everything we currently know about the Apple M4 comes from Gurman's recent report. As such, everything that I am about to say should be taken with a grain of salt. The following is what is currently known about the Apple M4 chip.

According to Gurman, we won't have to wait very long for a Mac with an M4 chip to appear on the market.

The first wave of M4 Macs will appear later this year, probably around October or November as we have seen in the past. This will include "new iMacs, low-end 14-inch MacBook Pros, high-end 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pros, and Mac minis, all with M4 chips." Of course, this is subject to change, Garman said.

More M4 computers will ship throughout 2025. The 13- and 15-inch MacBook Air will be updated in the spring, the Mac Studio will ship near the middle of this year, and the Mac Pro will ship in late 2025.

Currently, the entry-level M3 iMac 2023 costs $1,299 and the 14-inch MacBook Pro is $1,599; the M3 MacBook Air 13-inch costs $1,099 and the MacBook Air 15-inch costs $1,299. Finally, the 14-inch MacBook Pro with M3 Pro starts at $1,999 and the 16-inch MacBook Pro at $2,499.

Although Gurman did not mention pricing, it is possible that Apple will not raise costs too much. Of course, we can't be so sure.

The M4 chip line will reportedly come in three varieties: an entry-level called Donan, a more powerful model called Brava, and a high-end chip codenamed Hidra. Apple reportedly plans to highlight the AI processing capabilities of the new chips and how they will integrate with the next version of macOS.

Gurman reports that the entry-level MacBook Pro, the new MacBook Air, and the low-end Mac mini will have the Donan chip (presumably the entry-level M4 chip); the Brava chip will be used in the higher-end MacBook Pro and "more expensive" Mac mini models. The new Mac Pro, Apple's top-of-the-line desktop, will reportedly have the powerful Hidra chip.

Apple is also testing different versions of the Mac Studio with the yet-to-be-announced M3 chip (possibly the M3 Ultra) and a variant of the M4 Brava processor.

As far as Mac Studio M4 is concerned, Apple is considering having it support up to half a terabyte of memory. In contrast, the existing Mac Studio and Mac Pro have up to 192 GB of unified memory (RAM).

Apple's M-series chips have included a neural engine from the start; with AI PCs all the rage, it is only natural that Apple would want to tout the AI capabilities of the M-series. To that end, Apple "plans to add new artificial intelligence features throughout the product," Garman said.

Apple will reportedly preview "a number of new features" at WWDC 2024. Most of these features are designed to run on the device, not on a remote cloud server. If so, the M4 chip (which will probably be faster than the existing M3 chip) will be able to perform these tasks more efficiently.

We will apparently get a preview of the new macOS during WWDC to see how these new AI features will integrate with the OS.

Apple's M4 chip is only a rumor at this point. Nevertheless, it is not unreasonable to assume that Apple will eventually release a follow-up to the M3 chip. If Mark Garman's sources are correct, it won't be long before we see the reported power of the M4 chip.

We will update this article with any M4-related news, so please stay tuned for further updates.