New Macs

Rumors of the iPad Pro ushering in Apple’s next-generation M4 chip have led to speculation that it may also show off some new Macs next week.

After all, the M-series silicon has always debuted on Macs first. The first two generations came to the MacBook Air and the old-school 13-inch MacBook Pro, while the M3 made its first appearance in a new MacBook Pro lineup and 24-inch iMac before finding its way into the MacBook Air family in March.

The theory goes that if Apple is truly going to unveil an M4 chip, it won’t put it into an iPad Pro before a Mac; therefore, there must be some Macs coming. However, the counterpoint to that theory is that Apple simply won’t put its latest M4 chip into an iPad before a Mac.

There’s no evidence that new Macs are coming next week. Apple just launched its MacBook Air lineup in March, so it’s way too soon for those to get the M4 treatment, and the same applies to last fall’s MacBook Pro. While there’s a slight possibility Apple could throw in a Mac mini update, that would be a clunky and awkward addition to an iPad-focused event.

Apple has also rarely announced Macs alongside iPads. While it’s happened occasionally in the past, Apple prefers to keep those two product families distinct, and it’s often gone so far as to hold two events in the same month to announce iPads and Macs separately.

While we can’t rule out an M4 iPad Pro, the more likely conclusion seems to be that Apple will be putting something else in the iPad Pro. There’s evidence that it will use chips distinct from the M3 found in the MacBook Air, but that could be a special version of the M3 optimized for Apple’s tablets. However, if it is an M4 chip, Apple will set a new precedent by introducing its latest silicon in an iPad months before it finds its way into a Mac.

If the new iPad Pro does contain an M4 chip, it’s possible Apple may not have much to say about it to avoid stealing the thunder from its Macs later on. Something similar happened in 2020 when the iPhone launch was pushed into October due to the global health pandemic. Apple still held a September event to unveil the iPad Air 4 and new Apple Watch models, but it said very little about the A14 Bionic chip inside, preferring to save that for the iPhone 12 launch presentation.