Rumors have long suggested that Apple would launch its M3 MacBooks this October. Unfortunately, a new claim suggests otherwise.
According to analyst and Apple tipster Ming-Chi Kuo (via Ars Technica), Apple won’t launch the rumored M3 MacBooks in 2023. Kuo didn’t specify why Apple is allegedly not releasing M3 MacBooks this year.
Kuo’s claim goes against the reported October launch date that Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman has cited for the past few months. In one of his Power On newsletters from the summer, Gurman said we could expect M3 MacBooks in October. His sources claimed Apple would announce a new 13-inch MacBook Air and a similar-sized MacBook Pro.
Kuo isn’t the first person to claim the rumored Apple M3 chip wouldn’t arrive in 2023. According to prolific leaker Revegnus, TSMC, the Taiwanese chipmaker that Apple works closely with on several products, apparently can't produce enough M3 chips for updating the company's tablets, laptops and desktops. iPads and Macs with the new generation of silicon will instead only appear in 2024, Revegnus adds.
The Apple M3-series chip is rumored to use TSMC’s N3E 3-nanometer process — which is the same process utilized by the Apple A17 Pro chip found in the iPhone 15 Pro. If we were to speculate, it’s possible the iPhone 15 is the reason we’re not getting M3 MacBooks this year, as Apple may be prioritizing its phones.
As we previously wrote, iPhones are more popular than the best MacBooks or the best iPads. Perhaps Apple and TSMC are using these mobile chips to meet the potentially high demand for the new iPhone. Apple has in the past allegedly asked suppliers to shift manufacturing priorities from other products to keep the iPhone production line going, so perhaps this is what we're seeing again.
M3 MacBook outlook
While this week's Apple September event introduced new products like the Apple Watch 9 and iPhone 15, I was personally most looking forward to seeing the company announce M3 MacBooks during the rumored October event. If this latest rumor is true, it seems I’ll have to wait a bit longer for M3 MacBooks and Macs. That said, all of this is based on rumors so it’s best to employ a good dose of skepticism.
Even if we don’t get M3 MacBooks in 2023, we’ll likely hear something in early 2024. It’s anyone’s guess whether or not Apple decides to have a full-blown live event or if it will instead opt for a pre-recorded video — as was the case with this year’s MacBook Pro 14-inch and MacBook Pro 16-inch. But we’ll have to wait and see.
As always, check back with us for any new reports about M3 MacBooks.
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