(Bloomberg) -- Apple Inc. is planning a week of announcements related to the Mac computer lineup, marketing executive Greg Joswiak said in a social media post, signaling that highly anticipated models with the new M4 chip are on the way.
“Mac your calendars!” he said on X, adding a winking emoji. “We have an exciting week of announcements ahead, starting on Monday morning. Stay tuned…”
Though Joswiak didn’t specify what products Apple will unveil, Bloomberg News has reported that the rollout will include the first Macs with M4 processors.
The M4 chip was first announced in May as part of the latest iPad Pro and includes improvements to processing for artificial intelligence tasks, as well as general speed increases to the CPU, or central processing unit. The Macs coming next week with the chip will be the iMac, MacBook Pro and Mac mini, Bloomberg News has reported.
The company’s AI platform — called Apple Intelligence — also is set to debut next week. The software will launch as part of updates to iOS, iPadOS and macOS as early as Oct. 28, Bloomberg News has reported. The M4 chips will be especially adept at running AI features, though the software will also work on current Macs.
The base version of the M4 chip will come to the iMac, a low-end 14-inch MacBook Pro and the entry-level Mac mini. A higher-end, Pro variant will be included in a more premium version of the new mini model. The more upscale MacBook Pro is slated to get higher-performing versions of the M4 chip as well.
While the new iMac and MacBook Pro models will look like the current versions, the Mac mini will get its first major external redesign in more than a decade. It will be far smaller and approach the size of the Apple TV set-top box. And at least some versions will have five USB-C ports for connecting to accessories.
For the first time in several years, Apple will also refresh its Magic Keyboard, Magic Mouse and Magic Trackpad accessories. The new models will swap out the Lightning port and use USB-C for charging — part of a broader switch spurred by European Union regulations.
The Mac launch will mark the second product unveiling for the company this fall, with the company introducing the iPhone 16, new Apple Watches and updated AirPods in September.
(Updates with more on upcoming products in fifth paragraph.)
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