A report dated October 2, 2026, said Asahi Linux developer Sven Peter had submitted initial Apple SoC device-tree changes for the Linux 7.4 merge window. The reported scope covers six Macs with the base M4 and a separate target, the A18 Pro MacBook Neo. Device trees describe hardware for the kernel; this is an early bring-up step, not a usable Linux desktop.
Which Macs are in the reported M4 scope?
The M4 device trees cover six configurations using the base M4:
- 14-inch MacBook Pro (M4, 2024)
- 24-inch iMac (M4, 2024) with two USB-C ports
- 24-inch iMac (M4, 2024) with four USB-C ports
- 13-inch MacBook Air (M4, 2025)
- 15-inch MacBook Air (M4, 2025)
- Mac mini (M4, 2024)
The MacBook Neo is a separate target: its initial device tree is for the A18 Pro, not the M4.
What the initial device trees describe
A device tree tells the Linux kernel what hardware a machine contains and how to locate it. The reported M4 descriptions cover eight areas: CPU cores, the interrupt controller, power states, watchdog, serial, pin controller, I²C, and framebuffer.
For the A18 Pro MacBook Neo, the listed descriptions cover CPU cores, the interrupt controller, watchdog, serial, and framebuffer. That is a different, narrower set of hardware descriptions than the M4 list.
Early kernel bring-up, not a usable Linux desktop
The initial changes may let the kernel begin booting, but GPU support and much other functionality remain to be enabled. That means the reported work is an early step in bringing up Linux on these systems, not a ready-to-use desktop or a practical daily Linux setup.
