Something crazy is happening at Apple and we can't wait to know the backstory

This week, two Russian YouTubers claim to have got their hands on the unreleased M4 MacBook Pro, and this is far from Apple's usual programming.

In Short

• Apple to host final 2024 launch event this month
• Rumours of M4 MacBook Pro and iPad Pro launch
• Russian YouTubers claim possession of unreleased M4 MacBook Pro

Apple is scheduled to host its last launch event of 2024 sometime later this month. At the event, Apple is expected to launch the M4-chip powered MacBook Pro and iPad Pro. There are rumours that these products will go on sale by November 1. But, as of now, there is no official information about the launch or the products from Apple. However, interestingly, this week, two Russian YouTubers have claimed that they have got their hands on the unreleased M4 MacBook Pro, and have shared in detail about the purported new device and the new M4 chipset.

So far, no one has been able to verify the authenticity of these videos. However, the amount of detail that has been shared in these videos makes them seem believable. In fact, the second YouTuber who has shared a video of the purported M4 MacBook Pro shows the “About this Mac” menu in the video to show proof that it is the November 2024 model. The video reveals a 14-inch MacBook Pro box featuring a configuration with an M4 chip, equipped with a 10-core CPU and a 10-core GPU. It also boasts 16GB of RAM, 512GB of internal storage, three Thunderbolt 4 ports, and a sleek Space Black finish, indicating a potential high-end model.

These videos have also got Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman’s attention, who actively shares Apple news and leaks in his weekly newsletters. Gurman also believes that these videos could be genuine, and he has been resharing these videos and tweets related to it on his X account. “Unconfirmed but looks fairly legitimate,” Gurman said about the video. There is another user on X (formerly Twitter), who goes by the handle “ShrimpApplePro”, who shared some images of the M4 MacBook Pro on Monday, claiming that the product is on sale on a private Facebook group.

There is also a conversation about the wallpaper on the retail box, which is the same as that on the M3 MacBook’s retail box. Mark Gurman says that may not mean much and could still be genuine. Meanwhile, another leaker on X suggests that there could possibly be a specification overhaul for the existing MacBooks, hence the same wallpaper.

What is the crazy thing happening at Apple?

But what’s “crazy” about these leaks are not the details in the leaks, but the leaks themselves. Apple devices getting revealed before the official launch is atypical. The current situation seems like a big leak or breach at the Apple warehouse. As per leaker ShrimpApplePro, there are apparently 200 units of the new MacBook Pro with M4 chip already available for purchase. The source of this information or where the product is coming can not be verified, but this whole situation just seems to be getting stickier.

Apple is entirely mum about the whole thing, and it is quite likely that the company would never address the issue either. However, we can’t wait to know the backstory to this entire leak, breach or whatever this is. In fact, our theory is that this could just be a scam. We know AI can do many things, so why can’t it be used to scam people into buying a pre-released M4 MacBook Pro?

This has happened once before

You would think this has never happened before, but that’s not true. In 2010, an Apple employee accidentally left an iPhone 4 prototype at a bar in California, and that led to one of the biggest product leaks for Apple. This ongoing MacBook leak seems to be competing for that position now. At this point, all we want to know is what’s going on at Apple. Is this really a leak? Is this a scam?

Regardless, given Apple’s track record with incremental upgrades, some of the details in these leaks could still hold true. However, what makes this situation remarkable is the sheer scale of the leak itself. Apple is famously secretive about its product launches, and leaks of this magnitude are rare. It remains to be seen how Apple will respond to this latest leak.