Apple to launch M3-powered Mac in October this year: Report

Following the release of the MacBook Air with the M2 chipset at the WWDC, Apple is likely to unveil its new Mac devices with its rumoured M3 chipset.

A report by Mark Gurman says that Apple will release the first M3-powered Mac in October 2023. This is likely to consist of a new iMac, 13-inch MacBook Air and MacBook Pro. The upgraded versions of the 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro will probably launch next year.

“Now that Apple has gotten the 15-inch MacBook Air and new M2 Ultra-based Macs out the door, the October launch could feature the first Macs with M3 chips. October is too early for new high-end MacBook Pros or desktops, so the first beneficiaries of the new chip should be the next iMac, 13-inch MacBook Air and 13-inch MacBook Pro,” Gurman wrote in his Power On newsletter.

The M3 chipset is likely to deliver better performance as Apple has switched from a 5-nanometer silicon fabrication process to a 3-nanometer silicon fabrication process. The company is anticipated to employ TSMC’s N3E 3-nanometer process for the M3 chipset.

The M3 chipset will not only offer an improvement in performance and new AI features but also retain the same cores as the M2 chipset. 

Apple may also release the M3-powered iPad Pro with an OLED display. However, the device might only launch in 2024.

“For those wondering about the iPad — another product that typically gets refreshed in October — I wouldn’t expect any major upgrades until the M3 iPad Pros with OLED screens arrive next year,” Gurman added.

Before Apple releases the M3-powered Macs in October, the company is expected to launch the new iPhone 15 series and the Apple Watch in September this year. 

Meanwhile, Apple launched the first beta version of its upcoming operating systems, which include iOS 17, iPadOS 17, macOS Sonoma, watchOS 10, and tvOS 17. With the first public beta version of these operating systems, interested Apple device users will be able to test the new and upcoming features of these OSes even before the company officially rolls out the update to all the eligible devices.

While Apple’s upcoming operating systems offer a lot of new features and improvements over their predecessors, they also have a number of features that are tailored for the company’s users in India.

With iOS 17, iPadOS 17, macOS Sonoma and watchOS 10, Siri will become bilingual. Apple says that iOS 17 and iPadOS 17 offer a bilingual Siri experience that will enable users to interact with Apple’s digital assistant using a mix of English and Hindi.