How Apple's M4 chips dispelled all my fears about buying a new Mac

The only question is, which one do you want?

- ROMAN LOYOLA

As someone who has reviewed Macs for a long time, I'm often asked for shopping advice and whether now is a good time to buy a Mac. It's an excellent question since Apple has been fairly sporadic with its Mac releases. Macs are expensive and people want reassurance that they're making a timely investment. No one wants to buy something, start using it, and realize they just could've stuck with what they already had. Nor does anyone want to make a purchase only to have something better come along in a short time.

When it comes to Macs, the decision to buy a new one is rarely a quick and easy one, but with the release of the M4 Mac lineup, there's less hedging than ever before. As I reviewed the new iMac and MacBook Pro and got the lowdown about the Mac mini, I was struck by just how compelling these new Macs are. This recent release makes for the most compelling set of Macs that Apple has had in quite some time.

And if you're wondering whether it's time to buy a Mac in a general sense, the answer is yes.

THE MATURATION OF APPLE SILICON

The M4 is the fourth generation of Apple silicon in the Mac, and after an explosive (figuratively) start with the M1 and some hiccups with the M2 and M3 releases, the M4 feels like the chip is hitting its stride.