First Macs with M3 chip expected in October
Apple’s fall doesn’t just consist of a new iPhone crop, but updated Macs are usually also brought in. This year, a report from a reliable source mentions, among other things, new iMacs with an M3 chip. But other Mac models could also get an upgrade.
Although Apple has already presented a plethora of new Mac models this year, the second half of the year should be brighter. Because loud Bloomberg reporter Mark Gurman will use the group in October to present its first models with the M3 chip.
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Given that Apple has updated almost every model in its Mac family this year – starting with the high-end MacBook Pro (test) in January – there aren’t many updates planned. Gurman agrees, who among other things assumes that the iMac with a 24-inch display, which was introduced in April 2021, should receive its first update.
According to the Bloomberg reporter, the entry-level MacBook Pro will also be updated. The 13-inch MacBook Air could also be equipped with the M3 chip, according to Gurman. Doubts could be raised about the Air model in particular, after all Apple only unveiled the 15-inch MacBook Air (test) at WWDC in June 2023 and reduced the price of the 13-inch model a little.
Since the two Air models ultimately belong to the same model series, it would be quite strange if Apple equipped the smaller model with the M3 chip in the fall, while the larger variant remained on the M2 generation.
It is also questionable whether the entry-level model of the MacBook Pro will receive an upgrade at all. Finally, the computer still has the old design with a touch bar, which Apple has already scrapped on the top models. So it would be conceivable that Apple would scrap this model without further ado in order to create a clear differentiation between Air and Pro. The entry-level Pro model was always somewhere in between.
Gurman also touches on new iPad Pros. Apple last updated this in autumn 2022 together with the budget iPad (test), but did not give them a major upgrade. According to the reporter, an upgrade is not expected this fall.
Instead, the manufacturer could only unveil the next generation in spring 2024. This should then not only have an M3 chip on board, but also OLED screens. According to analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, Apple could even have a foldable iPad up its sleeve by 2024.
Compared to the M2 chip generation, the M3 chips should be more energy-efficient and performant. Apple can achieve these properties with a smaller structural width. So far, the group has relied on the five-nanometer process from TSMC for its M1 and M2 chips. The M3 generation is expected to go down to three nanometers.
With this method, among other things, more computing cores can be accommodated in the same area. According to Gurman’s information, the M3 Pro chip should have twelve CPU cores, 18 graphics cores and up to 36 gigabytes of memory on board. The CPU consists of six high-performance cores, which are responsible for the most intensive tasks, and six efficiency cores, which are used for operations. The first hardware with a three-nanometer-based chip is expected to be the iPhone 15.
