I’m considering an M4 MacBook Pro. Then I noticed they sell a MBP with a non Pro M4 CPU.
That’s not “Pro” level. Right ?
That’s not “Pro” level. Right ?
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Question a MacBook Pro is NOT a MacBook Pro unless it has a M4 Pro level CPU ?
- Thread starter TheRealAlex
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It still has a fan (which MacBook Air does not) and the great mini-LED display. "Pro" is just marketing... It is what it is.
It's a silly bit of confusing branding, indeed - but ultimately, at most, "pro" just means "better than the model that doesn't have 'pro' in the name". There's no definition of what constitutes "'pro' level".
The plain old M4 processor is pretty powerful - you can do "real work" with it, and until the new M4 MacBook Air comes out, it's significantly more powerful than the M3 Air. You also get a bigger/better screen and more ports (we don't know what the M4 MB Air specs will be yet but its unlikely to impinge on the M4 MB Pro).
There has long been an "entry level" MacBook Pro with a lower-end processor - even back in the Intel days.
Pro means it doesn’t slow down under sustained loads as airs do, because they have a fan. Also better display etc.
And then you do remember the intel i9 pro’s…. Which did slow down to a crawling speed under sustained loads where even ms teams meetings were a “ heavy task” 😖 and even an iPad was faster than that “pro machine” 😖 …
Pro is just more $$$ that’s all.
And then you do remember the intel i9 pro’s…. Which did slow down to a crawling speed under sustained loads where even ms teams meetings were a “ heavy task” 😖 and even an iPad was faster than that “pro machine” 😖 …
Pro is just more $$$ that’s all.
"Pro" for that model refers more to a feature set, like a high refresh rate, mini LED, HDR, 1,000 nits (or whatever it is), better speakers, microphones and additional I/O.
There are more powerful chips, but Pro is about more than the chipset--in this case, feature set.
The base M4 is an amazingly capable CPU. Despite Apple's poorly thought out naming scheme, it's no more or less 'pro' than M4 Pro/Max. Being able to run more than 2 displays at a time was kind of the last nagging thing that made the previous base chips feel 'consumer.' M4 can now run the same display configs as M4 Pro. It all really come down to how much CPU/GPU you need. You can confidently base you choice on your needs and budget since Apple is giving the full MBP experience in every other way.
A MacBook Pro with the standard M4 processor still offers quite a lot over the MacBook Air, though it’s in a heavier laptop.
The fan means your CPU isn’t as likely to throttle during CPU-intensive tasks, and the screen is visibly better, which matters especially for photo and video editing, if you aren’t using an external screen. You get more ports, and that matters if you want to attach several fast storage devices, which a Pro might need to do.
But “Pro” is only a name and it doesn’t distinguish whether a machine is designed with a professional or amateur in mind.
HobeSoundDarryl
macrumors G5
Marketing tags are just tags. For a pretty good while, iPads were called "magical" by Apple, but I waved mine around, did incantations, tried to summon Dr. Bombay, etc and never realized a single spell.
Jobs claimed the original retina screen was as sharp as a human eye could see. So why did we need Liquid Retina, Retina HD, Super Retina XDR, Ultra Retina XDR, Liquid Retina XDR, etc? Did our eyes improve? Is Apple selling products to Raptors too?
Someone could define MB Pro vs. Air (as that's the only Mac laptop choices) by ports or screens or fans, etc. They could measure speed of Base M vs. Core 2 Duo or PowerPC chips showing charts of how superior it is and thus relatively "pro." Apple could call them Magically Funnnner MB Pro Max Ultra with Super Deluxe Liquid XDR Ultra Retina 4X Extreme screen if they wanted. Putting a name on a box or sticker costs nearly nothing.
So M-base is a PRO or MAX or ULTRA if you want to consider it one... or not. Apple could call it any of those by just adding words to the name... or not. You could scan the sticker on the box, create a new sticker with such tags on the name and thus it IS PRO or MAX or ULTRA or KuKu-KaChoo. If you have a dog named Rex, he can be Rex Pro by just starting to call him that. Rex Max? Rex Ultra?
If it's not PRO to you and you want "pro," buy what is PRO to you. Most fan opinions will shift with whatever Apple decides to call things... even flip flop when Apple flip flops on things.
Jobs claimed the original retina screen was as sharp as a human eye could see. So why did we need Liquid Retina, Retina HD, Super Retina XDR, Ultra Retina XDR, Liquid Retina XDR, etc? Did our eyes improve? Is Apple selling products to Raptors too?
Someone could define MB Pro vs. Air (as that's the only Mac laptop choices) by ports or screens or fans, etc. They could measure speed of Base M vs. Core 2 Duo or PowerPC chips showing charts of how superior it is and thus relatively "pro." Apple could call them Magically Funnnner MB Pro Max Ultra with Super Deluxe Liquid XDR Ultra Retina 4X Extreme screen if they wanted. Putting a name on a box or sticker costs nearly nothing.
So M-base is a PRO or MAX or ULTRA if you want to consider it one... or not. Apple could call it any of those by just adding words to the name... or not. You could scan the sticker on the box, create a new sticker with such tags on the name and thus it IS PRO or MAX or ULTRA or KuKu-KaChoo. If you have a dog named Rex, he can be Rex Pro by just starting to call him that. Rex Max? Rex Ultra?
If it's not PRO to you and you want "pro," buy what is PRO to you. Most fan opinions will shift with whatever Apple decides to call things... even flip flop when Apple flip flops on things.
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“Retina” was about spatial resolution (pixels < 1 arc minute at typical viewing distance == limit of 20:20 vision). The later buzzwords are related to different, independent display properties like dynamic range, colour gamut, refresh rate - which improve the display in other ways.
Well, Pro could just mean that you get paid…
…or sometimes it means having the right letters after your name (so at least “MacRumors 68000” then
)Obviously, though, the only thing that beats “Pro” is “Max” or “Ultra”… Some people may even be “Extreme” but that’s probably just a rumour…
But then some pros use MacBook Airs…
If anybody wants a sensible answer, try “I need a Mac to do X - will a M4 do it?”.
LOL I loved the Dr. Bombay I Dream of Jeannie episodes when I was a kid. Things always went awry in the most comical of ways.
Well… I just ignored all your calls for Dr. Bombay. I can’t be everywhere at once, you know.
Pro is just marketing.
The real thing, for me, is whether a M4 macbook pro is worth the money. To me, I think the answer is no. I'd spend the extra money and jump up to an M4 Pro because the weight to power ratio is off for me.
I'm actually waiting for the m4 mba.
The real thing, for me, is whether a M4 macbook pro is worth the money. To me, I think the answer is no. I'd spend the extra money and jump up to an M4 Pro because the weight to power ratio is off for me.
I'm actually waiting for the m4 mba.
I think we all make the false assumption that Pro is short for Professional. It's just as likely that it's short for Profit.