Apple’s M2 lineup of Max was good but honestly not great. they’re missing a little something that we’ve been obsessing over for just about the last a year and that’s three-nanometer chip technology from the most important place in the world, a little island named Taiwan and if you don’t understand why it’s so important, you will by the end of this video.
as I’ll be talking about the performance of the M3, M3 Pro, and M3 Max chips but first I’ve got to go through some brand new updates in terms of when each and every M3 Mac will get released like the M3 MacBook Air, the high-end MacBook Pros, the Max studio Mac minis, Mac Pro and maybe even the iMac Pro.
2. M3 Chip
First, it’s crucial to grasp that these upcoming chips from TSMC, utilizing the three-nanometer technology, are set to employ an entirely novel approach.
These chips will operate on recently developed three-nanometer nodes, which will come with a notably higher cost—approximately 25 percent more expensive than the existing five-nanometer nodes.
This cost increase has led TSMC to grapple with significant yield challenges, essentially referring to the proportion of viable three-nanometer chips or wafers that pass quality assessment, as opposed to those that are discarded.
In the latest update, the inspection pass rate stood at a mere 55 percent, a concerning figure, especially considering that Apple requires a satisfactory yield for both the a17 chips and the M3. This predicament prompted speculations that Apple might postpone the M3 chip’s release to the following spring, consequently leading to a delay in the entire M3 Mac lineup.
However, current indications suggest a different scenario. Recent leaks provide insight into Apple’s plans. A few weeks ago, Mark Grumman revealed that Apple is organizing an event in October to introduce a range of new products, likely encompassing the initial series of M3 Macs.
These might encompass the M3 MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, and M3 iMac. Furthermore, additional reports from sources like Digit Times affirmed Apple’s preparation to unveil a new MacBook Pro featuring a three-nanometer chip within the current year—a chip that aligns with the M3 specifications put forth by Mark Grumman.
Initially, this assertion seemed challenging to believe, given the prevailing yield difficulties that suggested a scarce supply of chips for the upcoming fall season. However, a pivotal update emerged that shifted the perspective entirely.
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3.MacBook Air
It seems like Apple’s new 15-inch MacBook Air didn’t sell as well when it was first released. I had expected it to be very popular due to its big screen, thin design, and low price of $1299.
But, in reality, the number of laptops they sold in July was 50% lower than what they had planned. This happened because the whole laptop market is struggling right now because of the bad economy and other reasons.
This got me thinking about something else. Apple’s new computer chips, the 3 nanometer a17 and M3 chips, might not be a big problem after all.
This is because not many people are buying laptops at the moment, so even if there aren’t many of these new chips, it might not matter too much.
Also, Apple was smart to use their newest chips only in the expensive iPhones, not the laptops. The upcoming iPhone 15 and 15 Plus will use the slightly older 5 nanometer a16 chip.
Because of all these reasons, I believe that Apple could release a new MacBook called the M3 Max this autumn, right after they launch the iPhone 15 series. It seems like Apple’s suppliers are getting ready for this, and it makes sense because it’s been about 1.5 years since they released the M2 chip. This timing matches up well with their previous releases.
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4. iMac
Remember when Mark German leaked in March that Apple’s new M3 iMac was almost ready and might come out later this year? Well, there’s a chance that in October, we could see the 13-inch M3 MacBook Air, the 13-inch M3 MacBook Pro, and the 24-inch M3 iMac all together.
But I think it might be a good idea for Apple to wait and release the iMac in March or April of next year. This way, people’s attention won’t be all on one thing, just like how they did it with the first M1 iMac, which came out about six months after the first M1 Mac.
You might be wondering about the 15-inch MacBook Air and if it will have the M3 chip. To be honest, I don’t think it will get the update until later next year.
5. Release Dates
But now, let’s talk about the upcoming M3 Mac computers. First, there are two types of chips: M3 Pro and M3 Max. A person named Mark German recently told us some new information. He said that the new 14 and 16-inch MacBook Pros might come out around the middle of 2024.
This is about one and a half years after the M2 Pro and Max chips were launched in January. It makes sense. He also talked about a Mac Mini with M3 and M3 Pro chips. This might not come out until late 2024 at the earliest. That’s after the high-end MacBook Pros.
But I think they could come out at the same time. These are different products. Mark German also said that Apple is working on a big iMac with a screen larger than 30 inches.
However, it’s still in the early stages of development. So, it might not be ready until the fall of 2024 or even the spring of 2025. Lastly, there are the Mac Studio and Mac Pro. These might be released sometime between the fall of 2024 and the summer of 2025, but it’s really hard to know for sure right now.
6. Performance
Now, let’s talk about how well the new M3 chips will perform. Jason Cross from Mac World did some tests on the M3 chips, and even though he was being careful in his estimates, they seem reasonable. He got information from Tech Reeve on Twitter, who said that Apple made the M3 chip a bit slower than expected.
According to Jason, the M3 chip is expected to get around 2873 points in Geekman’s 6.1 single-core test. This is better than the previous M2 chip, which had fewer points.
The M3 Max is even a bit faster at 2988 points. In the multi-core test, the M3 chip got just over 11000 points. This is better than the M2, but still not as good as the more powerful M2 Pro with 10 cores.
I think Apple might make the M3 chip even better in the multi-core test, maybe even surpassing the M2 Pro by a small amount.
But my thoughts are based on an older leaked benchmark for a chip called a17, which might not be accurate anymore. Then there’s the M3 Max, which is estimated to get around 16500 points. This is almost as good as the M1 Ultra chip.
But I believe the M3 Max could be even better, maybe around 18000 or 19000 points. This is because the new three-nanometer chip technology is a big improvement over the older five-nanometer chips.
However, remember that performance isn’t the only important thing. These new chips are also good at using less power and staying cool while being fast, which means they could improve battery life.
So, in summary, the M3 chips seem promising in terms of performance, and the new technology should make them more efficient. If you liked this video, consider subscribing for more similar content. Thanks for watching, and see you in the next video!