Following the unveiling of the iPhone 15 lineup and Apple Watch Series 9, Apple is planning another event, potentially in October or November. The focal point of this event will be the introduction of the highly anticipated M3 chip. Recent reports indicate that Apple is diligently working on upgrading a range of Macs with the upcoming M3 chip, with rumors suggesting the testing of a new iteration of the Mac mini equipped with this advanced processor.
In the latest iteration of the Power On newsletter by Mark Gurman, reports indicate the emergence of fresh Mac models within third-party developer logs. This assortment encompasses a wide array of Macs currently under the company’s development, including:
– 13-Inch MacBook Air with M3 chip
– 15-Inch MacBook Air powered by M3
– 13-Inch MacBook Pro equipped with M3 technology
– 24-inch iMac featuring M3 internals
– M3 Pro and M3 Max models for the 14-inch and 16-Inch MacBook Pro
– M3 Mac mini
There’s a possibility that Apple might introduce the M3 MacBook Air variants, along with the 13-inch MacBook Pro and iMac, later in the current year. However, the announcement for the premium MacBook Pro models and the Mac mini might be deferred to the following year. The reason behind this is that the Mac mini has already been updated with enhanced internals featuring the M2 Pro chip. As Apple intends to reveal the M2 Pro chip in the upcoming year, it would be logical to debut the Mac mini alongside the high-end MacBook Pro models. Nevertheless, Apple could potentially reveal the Mac mini with the M3 chip in the present year, while reserving the M3 Pro version for the subsequent year.
As per the analyst’s assessment, the forthcoming M3 Mac mini is anticipated to retain the identical core count as its existing counterpart, the M2 Mac mini. This suggests that the primary enhancement will stem from the inclusion of the new M3 chip. Notably, the M3 Mac mini will showcase an 8-core CPU paired with a 10-core GPU, accompanied by a substantial 24GB of RAM. The 8-core CPU configuration will encompass four high-performance cores and four energy-efficient cores. It’s worth noting that while the base configuration of the Mac mini commences at 8GB of RAM, Apple is currently testing a version equipped with an impressive 24GB of RAM.
The M3 chip from Apple is set to be manufactured using TSMC’s cutting-edge 3nm process. This not only promises heightened computational and graphical capabilities but also holds the potential to bolster battery longevity in MacBooks. Leveraging its energy-efficient design, the M3 chip is poised to potentially augment the MacBook Pro’s battery life by an additional hour or two. While these assumptions remain speculative, Apple is poised to seize the spotlight and formally divulge insights into the upcoming M3 chip and Mac mini later within the current year.