Apple begins testing quick M3 chips as it pursues a Mac comeback.
Apple is already stepping up testing of M3 chips as it gets ready to introduce its new M2 Macs. Aside from that, the executive in charge of the TV+ business is leaving, and Meta expresses its true feelings regarding the Apple Watch. The release of Final Cut Pro for the iPad and what that might mean for Apple’s mixed reality headset are the final points. According to last week’s Power On, Apple expects emerging markets to save it from a decline in US and Chinese sales.
Even though Apple Inc. is still a few weeks away from launching its next batch of Macs with M2 chips, it is already working on a successor processor called the M3. In order to make sure that the next-generation Macs with the M3 chips are compatible with its software ecosystem, the company has started to put them through their paces. Through this process, we have previously gotten an early look at new chips. A number of the earlier M2-based machines, as well as the upcoming 15-inch MacBook Air and Apple Silicon Mac Pro, have all had their specifications previously released by the company.
The M3 could assist the company in finding novel ways to lure customers back to the lineup. Sales for Apple’s Mac division dropped 31% last quarter, falling short of analysts’ already pessimistic projections. So how does the M3 appear? At least one version in testing has 36 gigabytes of memory, 12 CPU cores, and 18 graphics cores. That is supported by information gathered by an App Store developer and provided to Power On. The chip’s primary processor, the CPU, is made up of six high-performance cores for the most demanding tasks and six efficiency cores for tasks requiring less power.
Here’s how that would compare with the entry-level M1 Pro and M2 Pro:
Apple M1 Pro (released October 2021):
- Eight CPU cores (six high-performance cores/two power-efficient cores)
- 14 graphics cores
- 32GB of memory
Apple M2 Pro (January 2023):
- 10 CPU cores (six high-performance cores/four power-efficient cores)
- 16 graphics cores
- 32GB of memory
Apple M3 Pro (in testing):
- 12 CPU cores (six high-performance cores/six power-efficient cores)
- 18 graphics cores
- 36GB of memory
The chip itself in this test is likely the entry-level model of what will be the M3 Pro coming next year and is currently running in a future high-end MacBook Pro with the upcoming macOS 14.0. This is how it would compare to the M1 Pro and M2 Pro entry-level models:
If the test chip is the entry-level M3 Pro, the increase in core counts over the M2 Pro would be comparable to the transition from the M1 Pro to the M2 Pro. It would include two more CPU cores that are energy-efficient and two more graphics cores. In this instance, the top-end configuration also receives an increase in memory of 4GB.
Apple’s next high-end MacBook Pro chip could have up to 14 CPU cores and more than a whopping 40 graphics cores if the M3 Max gained an equivalent amount of performance to the M2 Max (compared to the M1 Max). Further speculation would suggest that the M3 Ultra chip could have up to 28 CPU cores and more than 80 graphics cores, up from the M1 Ultra’s 64-core maximum. You must be wondering how Apple managed to squeeze that many cores onto a chip. The 3-nanometer manufacturing process provides the solution.
which the business will adopt with its M3 line. With that method, a designer can cram more cores into an already compact processor, increasing chip density.
I think the first Macs with M3 chips will start showing up toward the end of the year or early in the following one. I’ve been told that the company is already working on M3-based iMacs, high-end and low-end MacBook Pros, and MacBook Airs even though the first 15-inch MacBook Air with an M2 chip is scheduled to arrive this summer.