If you’ve been following the announcements made by Apple regarding the new products being released this week, you’ll note that the performance comparisons made by Apple regarding the M4’s performance are in comparison to the M1. Given the M2 and M3 have been around for a while, this makes me think the marketing push for the M4 is less about processor performance and more about selling Apple Intelligence.
Every processor generation is, theoretically at least, an improvement. It gets a bit murky with Apple and the M-series processors (more accurately they’re a system on a chip, or SoC, but I’ll use processor for simplicity). When the M1 was released in 2020 it came in three variants; the M1, M1 Pro and M1 Max.
The M2 followed with four variants – the M2, M2 Pro, M2 Max and M2 Ultra. M3 followed with three different chips, skipping the Ultra version and sticking with M3, M3 Pro and M3 Max. In may 2024, Apple surprised everyone by releasing the M4. But, rather than putting it in a flagship Mac product such as the MacBook Pro or Mac Studio, they used the iPad Pro as the first M4-powered device.
That brings us to October 2024 and the release of new Macs featuring the M4 processor family.
Where things can get confusing is that there is some performance overlap between each generation. For example, the M2 Max will outperform the M3 in some tasks. If this analysis by nanoreview.net is correct, the M1 Max, that powers the first generation Mac Studio, outperforms the new M4 for integrated graphics performance.
But Apple’s goal is not about selling the latest processor family. The real game for Apple is all about Apple Intelligence. The ‘real’ upgrade is the move from 8GB of memory as standard to 16GB. While 8GB is the stated minimum for running Apple Intelligence, it’s expected that a significant amount of the 8GB will be used. Which means other applications that are running will need more memory. It would seem that memory, rather than processor speed, is the key determinant as to whether a Mac, iPad or iPhone will run Apple Intelligence.
This explains the RAM bump given to the M2-powered MacBook Air. Not giving that model an M4 makes sense as it maintains the MacBook Pro’s cachet as a premium product – reflecting Steve Jobs’ pro and consumer product differentiation.
Of course, it should be noted that even if you have the fastest Mac with an Intel processor that you won’t be able to run Apple Intelligence as it requires an M-series processor. If you’re running a Mac with an Intel processor, that you’re missing out on other features such as background blurring on FaceTime calls, an enhanced version of Maps, broader language support for Siri and on-device dictation.
I think the upgrade decision, for many people, will rest on a simple question: If your current Mac/iPhone/iPad can’t run Apple Intelligence – are you prepared to upgrade your hardware to access that new functionality? Especially as the full gamut of Apple Intelligence features are not yet available.
Anthony is the founder of Australian Apple News. He is a long-time Apple user and former editor of Australian Macworld. He has contributed to many technology magazines and newspapers as well as appearing regularly on radio and occasionally on TV.