Apple has done things differently when it comes to launching computers running on its latest silicon. The M3 MacBook Pro models launched several months ahead of the M3 MacBook Airs. Then, Apple released the OLED iPad Pro featuring an even better chip, the M4. The iPad Pros came several months ahead of the expected M4 MacBook Pro and Air launches.
But make no mistake, the M4 MacBooks will likely launch this year. We already had reports indicating that the M4 MacBook Pro variants might get a late 2024 release date. A well-known insider has another hint that’s Apple’s plan.
Ming-Chi Kuo addressed camera components for the M5 MacBooks, saying in his report that the M5 laptops should launch in 2025. That further reinforces the idea that the M4 MacBooks are coming soon.
Kuo’s report on Medium focuses on Sunny Optical, a supplier of camera modules (CCM) for various products, including the MacBook line:
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Sunny Optical will become Apple’s new CCM supplier in 2025, with mass production and shipments in Vietnam for the CCM of the new M5 series MacBook models. Given that Sunny Optical is a first-tier CCM supplier in the world, if MacBook CCM shipments go smoothly, Sunny Optical may become the new CCM supplier for iPhone and iPad in the future.
Kuo doesn’t mention other details about the M5 MacBooks or offer any information on the timeline. But the paragraph above indicates that Apple will launch new M5 MacBooks in 2025. If that’s true, the M4 MacBooks must hit stores this year. Thus, Apple could keep these releases about a year apart.
The report does note that Sunny Optical will reenter the iPhone supply chain for the iPhone 16, which should happen in the second half of 2024.
It’s too early to say what the M5 MacBooks will have to offer. The OLED panel upgrades some MacBook fans might want, and the foldable MacBook won’t be ready by 2025. But the chip upgrades should be exciting enough.
We already saw how impressive the M4 is. It’s not just about the power gains or AI processing capabilities. The M4 is the key upgrade that allowed Apple to make a tablet as thin as the OLED iPad Pro.
Put variants of the M4 inside the MacBook, and the laptop might get even better battery life, unless Apple decides to reduce the thickness of these machines. The M5 chip should bring additional power gains and efficiency improvements. Rumors say that a thinner MacBook Pro is in the making. Chips like the M4, M5, or a more distant variant might make it happen.