Russian MacBook Pro M4 leak allegedly genuine, apparently stolen from storage
It would be the biggest advance leak in years: Now a well-known Apple observer also thinks the M4 Macs that landed in Russia are real. Where did they come from?
MacBook Pro packaging: Here the M3 packaging, which may have been reused for the M4.
(Image: Apple)
New Macs in advance – and weeks before an Apple event: this really seems to be the case with the new MacBook Pro models with M4 SoC. A hardware leak from last week, which surfaced in Russia of all places, is now considered genuine by observers. Bloomberg journalist Mark Gurman, who usually has good contacts in Cupertino, is certain that this is the "real deal". Despite a few oddities: The packaging of the devices, for example, has the background image of the predecessor with M3. And the entry-level model with M4 (i.e. without Max or Pro) is also to be offered by Apple for the first time in the color "Space Black", which was previously reserved for the more expensive devices.
Stolen from a warehouse?
The question remains as to where the hardware leak came from. The last one of this kind was a long time ago: in April 2010, during Steve Jobs' lifetime, an iPhone 4 prototype was left in a pub. The device eventually ended up in a blog editorial office via winding paths and was discussed in advance. The whole affair even came before the public prosecutor, but was later dropped. In Russia, which is no longer officially supplied by Apple, this is not to be expected.
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Gurman and others speculate that the device was probably stolen "from another country in Europe" in order to reach Russia. It is also believed to have been an entire shipment, as another offer for 6000 euros or more could be found on Russian online marketplaces for a short time. In addition, several YouTubers posted introductory videos. It is also conceivable that the hardware was leaked from Chinese warehouses. It would have been rather unlikely in the past that the devices had already arrived in Europe weeks before the announcement – New devices were often sent directly from China to customers at the beginning.
COâ‚‚-saving logistics
Gurman, on the other hand, believes that Apple fills its warehouses weeks before the start of sales. He assumes that this also applies to the new Mac minis and iMacs with M4, which Apple is also likely to present soon. In addition, Apple has tightened up its logistics. Whereas most devices were once shipped all over the world by air, the company is now trying to deliver as many products as possible by sea, which is more climate-friendly. This in turn would require more time, which explains why the warehouses have to be filled in advance.
However, the fact that this could happen at all due to the tough security measures for which Apple is known is a bitter blow for the company. The company's security department will probably have a lot to explain to the management.
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