An upgraded MacBook Pro with unconfirmed M4 chip is reportedly already being tested

Apple's latest M3-powered MacBook Pro laptops are available in both 14- and 16-inch configurations and are undoubtedly the best MacBook Pros that the company has ever made. But there's no rest for Apple's engineers and plans were always going to eventually turn to what comes next in the never-ending need for more power. Now, a new report suggests that Apple is hard at work on getting its next MacBook Pro ready for its debut - although it isn't yet clear when we should expect that to happen.

Writing as part of a Q&A session, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reports that Apple has started formal development of an M4 MacBook Pro machine, saying that he currently uses a 16-inch M1 Max MacBook Pro and will look to upgrade to the M4 once it is available. Information on what the M4 will have to offer is hard to come by right now, but it's possible that a chassis design change is in the cards given the lack of any tweaks in the last couple of generations.

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Apple updated the MacBook Air to add M3 chips very recently but it could be some time before we see the M4 devices make their appearance. The current M3 MacBook Pro models start at $1,599 for the 14-inch laptop with an 8-core CPU, 10-core GPU, 8GB of RAM, and a 512GB SSD but there are upgrades available. Additional RAM and more storage are all offered, while the top-of-the-range 14-inch model comes with an M3 Max with a 14-core CPU, 30-core GPU, 36GB of RAM, and 1TB SSD. The RAM and storage can also be upgraded here, but the starting price for that configuration is an eye-watering $3,199.

The figures are even higher for those looking to get a larger display, too. The base model 16-inch MacBook Pro comes with an M3 Pro chip with a 12-core CPU and 18-core GPU while 18GB of RAM and a 512GB SSD round out the main specifications for $2,499 with upgrades offered for a price. At the very top of the MacBook Pro lineup is the $3,999 M3 Max with a 16-core CPU, 40-core GPU, 48GB of RAM, and a 1TB SSD. Those who really want to splash the cash can of course then choose to add more RAM and storage if they must, but the price of a maxed-out model with 128GB of RAM and an 8TB SSD easily reaches $7,199. That's a huge sum of money although it has to be said that such a MacBook Pro would likely last for many, many years before it would need to be replaced - skipping the M4, M5, and beyond.