Apple plans Mac line overhaul with AI-focused M4 chips

Apple is nearing the production of M4 computer processors which would have AI processing capabilities and plans to update every Mac model with it, Bloomberg News reported on Thursday, citing people with knowledge of the matter.

The company is aiming to release the updated computers late this year and early next year, and they would include new iMacs, a low-end 14-inch MacBook Pro, high-end 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pros, and Mac minis, the report said.

PC makers have been in a slump since the end of a pandemic-era boom in sales for working and learning from home. The industry has pinned its hopes of a revival on a new generation of laptops and desktops with more powerful chips that can handle artificial intelligence tasks such as summarizing documents without having to send data to the cloud.

Intel is preparing such chips, as are rivals including Qualcomm.

Reuters has reported that Nvidia also plans to use its strength in AI chips to jump into the PC market with a new chip as early as 2025.

Apple is planning to highlight the AI processing capabilities of the new chips, and how they'll integrate with the next version of macOS, according to the Bloomberg report.

Apple did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.

The news comes ahead of Apple's annual developers conference in June, and reports said the iPhone maker could announce new AI partnership and unveil significant changes to the iOS. Mac sales fell 27 per cent in Apple's most recent fiscal year ended September. 

Apple in October unveiled the current-generation M3 chips and new MacBook Pro and iMac computers that were getting them.