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AI-focused M4 chips coming soon

AI-focused M4 chips coming soon

A big upgrade for Apple silicon is on tap.

Leander Kahney
April 12, 2024

Apple’s been killing it with Apple silicon chips in Macs and iPads, but there’s been little reason for most people to upgrade from older versions.

M1 machines, for example, are still plenty powerful for most tasks.

However, the upcoming M4 series of chips could change that.

Arriving later this year, the M4 processor lineup reportedly will benefit from significantly beefed-up Neural Engines to enable the generative AI features in Apple’s upcoming operating systems.

These AI features likely will get a boost from the upgraded chips, presenting users with a big upgrade incentive.

So if you’re thinking about upgrading your Mac, best to hold off until the M4 processors are released. More details about the upcoming chips here.

Also in today’s newsletter:

The M4 chips are good news for Apple users, but bad news for smart AI assistants like the Humane Ai Pin and the rabbit r1. Humane’s Ai Pin is already getting killed in early reviews, and Apple adding similar capabilities to its devices might be a death blow for AI gadget-makers.
If you just can’t wait for the M4, the current M3 iMac is available at a nice discount.
Portable battery packs that double as charging bricks are a clever new trend, and this new one from Anker looks pretty cool.
Poor old Ron Wayne. Today’s the day the Apple co-founder cashed out his early stake for $800. If he’d held on, it would have been worth billions. He says he has no regrets. Riiiiiiight.

— Leander Kahney, EIC.

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Macs with AI-focused M4 chip launching this year

The Apple M4 processor will put an emphasis on AI, and will start appearing in Macs this autumn.

Humane Ai Pin review roundup: It's a disaster

With the buzzy gadget finally available, the first Humane Ai Pin reviews paint the device as an interesting idea with a terrible execution.

^{A message from the Cult of Mac Deals team}

Get 1TB of cloud storage, just $128 for life

Koofr lifetime cloud storage plan gives you 1TB of space, accessible from any device. Pay just $127.99 for the cheapest cloud storage around.

Build big home-theater sound with affordable new Klipsch gear

Two trusted names in home audio -- Klipsch and Onkyo -- just teamed up to give you the expandable Flexus Sound System.

Anker's new power bank moonlights as wall charger

The Anker 3-in-1 Power Bank Fusion keeps iPhone and other gadgets charged on the go, or it plugs in to power devices as a wall charger.

^{A message from the Cult of Mac Deals team}

M3 iMac drops to lifetime low after $149 discount

Amazon slashes the price of the M3 iMac, making it a practically irresistible deal.

Apple TV+ commits to ‘Monarch: Legacy of Monsters’ season 2 with Godzilla and Kong

The hit series "Monarch: Legacy of Monsters" is officially getting a second season. In addition, there'll be multiple spinoff series.

‘Franklin’ docudrama portrays founding father’s perilous mission to save America

Join Benjamin Franklin on his daring mission to convince the French monarch to support American independence in a new Apple TV+ series.

Today in Apple history: Apple co-founder quits and cashes in his stake for $800

On April 12, 1976, Apple's third co-founder sold his 10% stake in the company for just $800. Ron Wayne could have been a billionaire!

You wish you had this MacBook workstation's killer keyboard [Setups]

The Keychron Q3 Pro keyboard is a beautiful example of a highly functional and customizable mechanical keeb.

Tweetz o’ the day

I think the most amazing thing about Pixelmator Pro is that they are able to put vector editing, image editing, painting, video, PDF, templates, and more all into one app while still having a fantastic and intuitive interface. It never feels bloated, confusing, or overwhelming.
— 🅳🆈🅻🅰🅽 (@DylanMcD8)
1:55 AM • Apr 12, 2024

Man... I, respectfully, disagree so hard with Ben here. Live Photos are one of my favorite features on iOS hands-down. If you have kids -- you can't take photos without it. I can't count the number of times I've adjust the Live Photo to account for movement, blinking, etc.
Not… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…
— Andrew O'Hara (@Andrew_OSU)
1:50 AM • Apr 12, 2024

do you enjoy spatial videos on your Apple Vision Pro? this one is for you!
introducing Fyta! a social platform where you can view and play spatial content from around the world
also, they have an iOS app, making it easy to upload spatial content right from your iPhone. link👇
— Justin Ryan ᯅ (@justinryanio)
1:42 AM • Apr 12, 2024

whoa the new iPad Magic Keyboard looks wild
— Sebastiaan de With (@sdw)
6:19 PM • Apr 12, 2024

Today, the first public reviews about the Humane Ai Pin are now available for you all to read, In my career, I’ve worked on several 1.0 products you’ve probably used—the first iPhone is chief among them—and so I’ve been through this before. Let me run down some of the thoughts… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…
— Ken Kocienda (@kocienda)
5:15 PM • Apr 11, 2024

One more thing ...

❝

The reason Apple resonates with people is that there’s a deep current of humanity in our innovation.

— Steve Jobs, 2011.

Today’s poll

How long will Humane remain in business?

Results from yesterday’s poll: What's better: Apple Music or Spotify?

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