After announcing the M4 powered iMac, Apple has subsequently introduced the all-new Mac mini and refreshed the MacBook Pros with the M4 chip, the highlights of these new products include the much smaller form factor of the Mac mini, the improved performance of M4 Pro and M4 Max chips on the new MacBook Pros, while these new Macs will come with 16GB RAM on their base models with no increase in their original prices.
2024 Mac mini
The new Mac mini features an impressively compact dimension that measures just 5-inches by 5-inches, which is just slightly larger and taller than an Apple TV, this little machine can be configured with either an M4 or M4 Pro chip, while the latter offers the advantage of Thunderbolt 5 ports vs Thunderbolt 4 on the non-Pro model, the Mac mini is pretty generous on I/O despite its form factor that includes two USB-C ports and 3.5mm audio port on the front, three USB-C Thunderbolt ports, one full-sized HDMI 2.1 and one Gigabit ethernet port on the back, the latter can also be configured to a 10Gbps port if required.
With the M4 chip, Apple claims that it is 2.5x faster than the M1 Mac mini while having 2.2x faster graphics for gaming. The commendable thing this time is that you no longer need to bother how many cores you are getting on the CPU and GPU, as all M4 configurations sold by Apple will come with a 10-core CPU and 10-core GPU configuration, and you can configure up to 32GB RAM and 2TB of storage at Apple’s website.
As for the M4 Pro model, you get to choose between a 12-core CPU/16-core GPU or 14-core CPU/20-core GPU option, either SoC options will allow you to configure up to 64GB RAM and 8TB of storage, making this mini desktop computer quite the powerhouse when maxed out.
The 2024 Mac mini starts at RM2,499 for the M4 base configuration model with 16GB RAM and 256GB storage, the M4 Pro base model starts at RM5,999 and will have 24GB RAM and 512GB storage.
2024 MacBook Pro
As usual, the 2024 MacBook Pros with M4 are available in 14 and 16-inch models, though the entry M4 chip is only exclusively available on the 14-inch model, and if you love Space Black, you can also finally choose that finish option on the entry M4 14-inch MacBook Pro this time.
Designs on the new MacBook Pros are identical to the previous model with the same I/O configuration, though you will get Thunderbolt 5 ports when you opt fot the M4 Pro and M4 Max chip variants. Apple is targeting these machines at users rocking an M1-based MacBook Pro, which the M4 chip is 3.4x faster than the M1, M4 Pro is 3x faster than M1 Pro, and M4 Max is 3.5x faster than the M1 Max.
With the improved power efficiency of the new chips, Apple is now claiming that the M4 MacBook Pro can last up to 24 hours of battery life on a single charge, which is the longest battery life ever on a Mac. The display of the M4 MacBook Pros can have super low brightness at just 1 nit, you will also have the option to configure it with a nano-texture display on both 14 and 16-inch models, which is essentially an anti-glare surface that improves visibility under bright lighting conditions.
What’s also new on the new MacBook Pros is a 12MP Centre Stage camera, which not only centers you on the frame in a video call but also a Desk View feature, which shows a top-down shot that lets you present stuff that’s on the table, which is an impressive feature if you need to present stuff on the table without the need to tilt down your webcam.
The M4 14-inch MacBook Pro starts at RM6999 for the base model with 16GB RAM and 512GB of storage, the M4 Pro 16-inch MacBook Pro starts at RM10,999 with 24GB RAM and 512GB of storage.
MacBook Air upgraded to 16GB RAM for all variants
On top of these announcements, both M2 and M3 MacBook Airs will now come with 16GB RAM for their base configuration, with no increase on their original price tags, this makes them now more competitive against Windows laptops and ready for Apple Intelligence.
