Initial patches boot the Apple M4 on Linux

Category: Linux/Kernel
Status: developing
Sources: Phoronix, Asahi M4 feature support, r/linux discussion
Summary: Developer Yureka Lilian posted the first device trees and bindings to boot Apple Silicon M4 systems on Linux, reported by Phoronix on 2026-07-09. The M4 bring-up is closer to the M3 than the M2-to-M3 step. Most changes are in the m1n1 bootloader, which no longer sets CPU configuration bits because iBoot now sets and locks them. The patches only reach a bootable state without working peripherals or a usable desktop, and SMP boot depends on idle=nop patches and remains unstable.
Why it matters: It is the first upstream step toward mainline Linux support for the newest Apple Silicon generation and continues the Asahi Linux enablement effort.
Follow-up: Watch for peripheral drivers (display, GPU, audio), stable SMP boot, and upstream merge of the M4 device trees.