Subj : New MacBook Pro 2024 laptops might come with a surprise upgrade o
To   : All
From : TechnologyDaily
Date : Thu Jun 20 2024 11:45:05

New MacBook Pro 2024 laptops might come with a surprise upgrade other than 
the M4 chip  faster Thunderbolt ports (or maybe more of them)

Date:
Thu, 20 Jun 2024 10:36:43 +0000

Description:
A die shot of the M4 processor reveals something interesting on the 
connectivity front that has sparked debate.

FULL STORY
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Apples next MacBook Pro models, expected to debut later this year with the 
new M4 chip , could have more ports  or more likely, the same number of 
ports, but with a major boost in bandwidth. 

This speculation  and it is just that at this stage  was aired in an exchange 
on X spotted by Wccftech , in which a die shot of the M4 chip is compared to 
one of the M3. Well, obviously, we see +2 additional identical blocks, which 
are labeled as TB in the M3 image. pic.twitter.com/PCDZJ3Z4bX June 18, 2024 
See more 

The seemingly clear enough takeaway here is that the M4 appears to have twice 
as many Thunderbolt controllers, meaning four of them, instead of two 
controllers which is the loadout with the M3. 

So, the question is  if this does turn out to be the case with the M4 silicon 
 what might Apple be planning to achieve by ramping up that controller count? 
Analysis: Beefier ports, not more of them  most likely 

With four Thunderbolt controllers, that raises the possibility that Apple 
could equip the MacBook Pro with more Thunderbolt ports, upping the number 
from three to four possibly. 

However, we think thats less likely than the other scenario we mentioned at 
the outset. Namely that the port count would remain the same, but the 
additional controllers could allow Apple to double up on the available 
bandwidth (to 160Gbps in total). 

What would that mean in practice for the next-gen MacBook Pro M4? Well, with 
more bandwidth to tap with those Thunderbolt connectors, itd facilitate 
hooking up high-res monitors running at faster refresh rates . Thats 
important for creative professionals using these Apple laptops, as they may 
work with some pretty beefy displays. 

From what weve heard so far, the next MacBook Pros might stick with much the 
same formula as the current iterations, and the main upgrade would be the 
switch to the M4 silicon  but at least this is another seemingly likely 
benefit for these laptops that professional users will certainly appreciate. 
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Link to news story:
https://www.techradar.com/computing/macbooks/new-macbook-pro-2024-laptops-migh
t-come-with-a-surprise-upgrade-other-than-the-m4-chip-faster-thunderbolt-ports
-or-maybe-more-of-them


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