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Apple introduces M4 chip

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Re: Apple introduces M4 chip

#201

Post by kaba0 »

AzzyHN wrote: post #193
stuff4ben wrote: post #97

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Just because you lack the skills to fix it, doesn't mean it's not repairable. People desolder components all the time to fix phones and ipads and laptops. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VNKNjy3CoZ4

Any other computer I could simply replace the motherboard with several other compatible motherboards, no soldering or donor board needed.

It’s almost like “any other computer” is not thin as a finger, packed to the brim with features that require miniaturization.

Can you just fix an F1 engine with a wrench?

Re: Apple introduces M4 chip

#203

Post by yieldcrv »

philistine wrote: post #141
izacus wrote: post #84

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Apple usually massively exaggerates their tech spec comparison - is it REALLY half the power use of all times (so we'll get double the battery life) or is it half the power use in some scenarios (so we'll get like... 15% more battery life total) ?

Quickly looking at the press release, it seems to have the same comparisons as in the video. None of Apple's comparisons today are between the M3 and M4. They are ALL comparing the M2 and M4. Why? It's frustrating, but today Apple replaced a product with an M2 with a product with an M4. Apple always compares product to product, never component to component when it comes to processors. So those specs are far more impr…

personally I think this is a comparison most people want. The M3 had a lot of compromises over the M2.

that aside, the M4 is about the Neural Engine upgrades over anything (which probably should have been compared to the M3)

Re: Apple introduces M4 chip

#204

Post by Teever »

low_common wrote: post #134
MuffinFlavored wrote: post #114

Earlier quoted context omitted.

To me it just feels like a soft launch. You probably have people (like myself) trying to keep up with the latest MacBook Air who get fatigued having to get a new laptop every year (I just upgraded to the M3 not too long ago, from the M2, and before that... the M1... is there any reason to? Not really...), so now they are trying to entice people who don't have iPads yet / who are waiting for a reason to do an iPad upg…

You get a new laptop every year?

If you replace your laptop every year or two and sell the old one online you can keep on the latest technology for only a slight premium.

Re: Apple introduces M4 chip

#205

Post by jasonjmcghee »

MuffinFlavored wrote: post #114
simonbarker87 wrote: post #21

Seeing an M series chip launch first in an iPad must be result of some mad supply chain and manufacturing related hangovers from COVID. If the iPad had better software and could be considered a first class productivity machine then it would be less surprising but the one thing no one says about the iPads is “I wish this chip were faster”

To me it just feels like a soft launch. You probably have people (like myself) trying to keep up with the latest MacBook Air who get fatigued having to get a new laptop every year (I just upgraded to the M3 not too long ago, from the M2, and before that... the M1... is there any reason to? Not really...), so now they are trying to entice people who don't have iPads yet / who are waiting for a reason to do an iPad upg…

Still using my M1 Air and had no interest in updating to M3. Battery life has dropped a fair amount, but still like 8+ hours. That's going to be the trigger to get a new one. If only batteries lasted longer.

Re: Apple introduces M4 chip

#206

Post by pantalaimon »

paulpan wrote: post #183
EduardoBautista wrote: post #13

The 256gb and 512gb models have 8gb of ram. The 1tb and 2tb models have 16gb. Not a fan of tying ram to storage. https://www.apple.com/ipad-pro/specs/

I don't think it's strictly for price gouging/segmentation purposes. On the Macbooks (running MacOS), RAM has been used as data cache to speed up data read/write performance until the actual SSD storage operation completes. It makes sense for Apple to account for with higher RAM spec for the 1TB/2TB configurations.

> RAM has been used as data cache to speed up data read/write performance until the actual SSD storage operation completes.

I'm pretty sure that's what all modern operating systems are doing.

Re: Apple introduces M4 chip

#207

Post by PreInternet01 »

mewpmewp2 wrote: post #64
PreInternet01 wrote: post #18

> M4 makes the new iPad Pro an outrageously powerful device for artificial intelligence Yeah, well, I'm an enthusiastic M3 user, and I'm sure the new AI capabilities are nice , but hyperbole like this is just asking for snark like "my RTX4090 would like a word". Other than that: looking forward to when/how this chipset will be available in Macbooks!

Although as I undserstand m3 chips with more VRAM handle larger LLMs better because they can load more into VRAM compared to 4090.

Yes, M3 chips are available with 36GB unified RAM when embedded in a MacBook, although 18GB and below are the norm for most models.

And even though the Apple press release does not even mention memory capacity, I can guarantee you that it will be even less than that on an iPad (simply because RAM is very battery-hungry and most consumers won't care).

So, therefore my remark: it will be interesting to see how this chipset lands in MacBooks.

Re: Apple introduces M4 chip

#208

Post by grumpyprole »

atonse wrote: post #162
snapcaster wrote: post #16

Apple was really losing me with the last generation of intel macbooks but these m class processors are so good they've got me locked in all over again

The M1 Max that I have is easily the greatest laptop I've ever owned. It is fast and handles everything I've ever thrown at it (I got 32 GB RAM), it never, ever gets hot, I've never heard a fan in 2+ years (maybe a very soft fan if you put your ear next to it). And the battery life is so incredible that I often use it unplugged. It's just been a no-compromise machine. And I was thinking of upgrading to an M3 but will…

Unlike the PC industry, Apple is/was able to move their entire ecosystem to a completely different architecture, essentially one developed exactly for low power use. Windows on ARM efforts will for the foreseeable future be plagued by application support and driver support. It's a great shame, as Intel hardware is no longer competitive for mobile devices.

Re: Apple introduces M4 chip

#209

Post by stonemetal12 »

Lalabadie wrote: post #22

Key values in the press release: - Up to 1.5x the CPU speed of iPad Pro's previous M2 chip - Octane gets up to 4x the speed compared to M2 - At comparable performance, M4 consumes half the power of M2 - High-performance AI engine, that claims 60x the speed of Apple's first engine (A11 Bionic)

Apple claimed M3 was 1.35 the speed of the M2. So the M3 vs M4 comparison isn't that impressive. Certainly not bad by any means, just pointing out why it is compared to the M2 here.

Re: Apple introduces M4 chip

#210

Post by downrightmike »

diogenescynic wrote: post #94

So is the iPad mini abandoned due to the profit margins being too small or what? I wish they'd just make it clear so I could upgrade without worrying a mini replacement will come out right after I buy something. And I don't really understand why there are so many different iPads now (Air/Pro/Standard). It just feels like Apple is slowly becoming like Dell... offer a bunch of SKUs and barely differentiated products. I…

They refresh it like every 3 years
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