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Rumor: M3 chip to enter mass production in second half of 2023

The M3 chip you’re hankering for is in the works and is said to enter mass production in the second half of 2023.

Per a tweet by noted analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, M3 chip production will begin “slightly ahead” of the M3 Pro and M3 Max. Apple should use the M3 chip for future models of the 13-inch MacBook Air, 13-inch MacBook Pro, 24-inch iMac, and Mac mini, while the higher-end M3 Pro and M3 Max chips are destined for the next 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models, which Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman expects to be released in the first half of 2024.

The M3 is expected to be based on Apple chipmaking partner TSMC’s latest 3-nanometer process, as opposed to the 5-nanometer process used for the M2 chip. As a 3-nanometer chip, this should offer significant performance and power efficiency improvements.

Kuo also stated that the long-rumored 15-inch MacBook Air will be powered by an M2 chip. Back in June 2022, Kuo predicted that the 15-inch model would also be available with the M2 Pro chip, but he no longer expects this.

It’s also still rumored that Apple’s next-gen Mac Pro desktop tower will feature an M2 Ultra chip, and it is likely that Apple would finish its rollout of the M2 series of chips before announcing the M3 chip.

Stay tuned for additional details as they become available.

Via MacRumors, @mingchikuo, and Bloomberg