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The new M4 Macbook Pro is a MONSTER

By Tari Ibaba / Last updated on November 20, 2024

This beast just got upgraded to the M4 chip and it’s more dangerous than ever.

This is the greatest value for money you’ll ever get in a Macbook Pro.

Especially as Apple finally caved to give us 16 GB RAM in base models for the same price.

The unbelievable performance of the M4 chip makes it every bit as deadly as the new M4 Mac Mini and iMac — yet ultraportable and lightweight.

Starting with a 10-core CPU and 10-core GPU.

Can’t compare with the Macbook Air on portability tho — lightest PC I’ve ever felt.

Apple says M4 is up to 3 times faster than M1 — but M1 is still very good so don’t go rushing to throw your money at Tim Cook.

In practice you’ll probably only notice a real difference for long tasks in heavy apps — like the Premier Pro 4K export in the benchmarks we just saw.

M4 is also an unbelievable 27 times faster than Intel Core i7 in tasks like video processing:

Core i7 used to be a big deal back then!

So imagine how much faster M4 Pro Max would be than the Intel Core i7?

Yeah their M4 processor comes in 3 tiers: M4, M4 Pro, and M4 Max.

The base model also comes with much as 3 Thunderbolt ports — unlike the 2 in previous base models.

Thunderbolt ports looks just like USB-C but with much faster data transfer speeds — and obviously light years ahead of USB-A.

With Thunderbolt 5 you get incredible speeds of up to 120Gb/s — available in Pro models with M4 Pro and M4 Max.

Along with a standard MagSafe 3 charging port and an SXDC card slot to easily import images from digital cameras.

Plus a headphone jack and a HDMI port.

Definitely geared for the pros, and pretty packed compared to the ultraminimalist MacBook Air:

Btw every wondered why Apple still puts headphone jacks in Macs?

It’s because wired headphones give maximum audio quality and have zero lag — something that’s essential for the Pros. Perfect audio.

And perfect video too — with a sophisticated 12 mega-pixel Center Stage camera.

Center Stage makes sure you’re always at the center of the recording even as you move around.

Crystal clear Liquid Retina display in two great sizes

14 inch — 3024 x 1964
16 inch — 3456 x 2234

imo Take 14 over 16 — It’s more than enough screen space.

You know I thought the 13 inch MacBook Air would be small but it turned out perfect and I was happy not to go with the 15.

My previous 15.6″ PC now seems humongous and too much for a laptop. 16″ seems insane.

Better you get a huge external monitor:

But on it’s own, it’s a monstrously good laptop for coding and other heavy tasks:

The base plan starts at $1599 for 16 GB RAM and 512 GB SSD with M4 chip with many lethal upgrade options:

M4 16 GB RAM and 1 TB SSD — $1799
M4 24 GB RAM and 1 TB SSD — $1999

M4 Pro 24 GB and 512 GB SSD — $1999
M4 Pro 24 GB and 1 TB SSD — $2399

M4 Max 36 GB RAM and 1 TB SSD — $3199 🤯

Overall the M4 MacBook Pro strikes the perfect balance of power, sleek design, and value, making it an excellent choice for professionals seeking the ideal portable workstation.

The new M4 Mac mini is a MONSTER

By Tari Ibaba / Last updated on November 13, 2024

They call it mini but what it can do is far from mini.

Only 5 x 5 x 2 inches and 1.5 pounds That’s mega-light.

Yet the M4 chip makes it as dangerous as the new MacBook Pro — even though it costs much less.

And just look at the ports:

And you know I saw this pic on their website and was like, What the hell is this?

Then I saw this:

Ohhh… it’s a CPU — no a system unit…

It’s a “pure” computer with zero peripherals — not even a battery. You’re buying everything yourself.

Definitely dramatically superior to the gigantic system unit I used when I was younger.

But I didn’t think this was still a huge thing. Especially with integrated screens like the iMac.

Mac Mini is like the complete opposite of the iMac — a gigantic beast that comes with everything…

iMac gives you predictability — no analysis paralysis in getting all your parts (although you can just buy apple anyways)

Mac Mini is jam-packed with ports:

On the front we’ve got two 10 Gbps USB-C ports and a headphone jack:

Back ports:

Lovely crisp icons indicate what they’re each for…

But they put the power button at the bottom — dumb move!

You’ll have to raise it up any time you want to on it.

Wouldn’t it have been cool if instead they made the power huge to cover the bottom completely — so you’d just have to push it down like those red buttons in game shows?

But once it’s all powered up the possibilities are endless:

From basic typing to heavyweight gaming — like Apple Arcade stuff:

And coding of course:

And with an improved thermal system, Mac Mini can handle all these demanding tasks quietly:

The base plan starts at $599 for 16GB RAM and 256 GB SSD with M4 Pro, you can pay for higher configs like other Mac devices allow:

16 GB RAM and 256 GB SSD – $799
24 GB RAM and 512 GB SSD – $999

And then there’s the M4 Pro — 24 GB RAM and 512 GB SSD for $1399.

Overall the M4 Mac Mini is a perfect blend of power, compact design, and value, great for professionals looking for the ideal desktop workstation.