New M3 MacBooks reportedly skipping Apple September event — here's what we know

MacBook Air M2 2022
(Image credit: Tom's Guide)

If you were looking forward to Apple announcing new Macs during its September 12 event, we have some bad news for you.

According to Bloomberg reporter and Apple tipster Mark Gurman, Apple might not hold a live in-person event to announce the rumored Apple M3 chip and new Macs and MacBooks that utilize the unannounced processor. Instead, it seems the company will announce new M3 Macs via a press release or virtual event, including a possible MacBook Air M3 and MacBook Pro M3.

"The structure of the event, I'm told, will match the iPhone 14 launch: A prerecorded video will be shown online, as well as at an event at the company's headquarters," said Gurman about the September 12 event. He continued to say: "There's also another launch occurring in October — likely for the first M3 Macs — but it's unclear if that will be positioned as a formal event."

MacBook Pro 16-inch 2021 sitting on a patio table

Apple announced the MacBook Pro 16-inch (pictured above) during the company's "Unleashed" event in October 2021. (Image credit: Tom's Guide)

Putting out a press release for new Macs isn’t unprecedented. After all, that’s exactly what happened with the MacBook Pro 14-inch 2023, MacBook Pro 16-inch 2023 and Mac mini M2 earlier this year. October events also aren’t uncommon, with the last one being held virtually in 2021 to announce that year’s redesigned MacBook Pro 14-inch, MacBook Pro 16-inch and the M1 Pro and M2 Max chips powering those laptops.

Outlook 

If Gurman is correct, it seems we’ll either get a press release or a virtual event for the expected Apple M3 announcement. This is just my guess (and wish), but it makes sense to hold a virtual event instead of sending out a press release to announce the next generation of the Apple silicon powering the best MacBooks. If rumors and alleged leaks are true, the M3 chip could be as revolutionary as the M1 chip was when it launched — which would be a moment worth holding some kind of event for.

As for what Apple will announce in October, Mark Gurman and other analysts and leakers believe we’ll get M3-powered models of the MacBook Air, 13-inch MacBook Pro and the iMac. Of course, the company should also detail how powerful the rumored M3 chip is compared to previous versions and to the competition. We should hopefully find out more come October.

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Tony Polanco
Senior Computing Writer

Tony is a computing writer at Tom’s Guide covering laptops, tablets, Windows, and iOS. During his off-hours, Tony enjoys reading comic books, playing video games, reading speculative fiction novels, and spending too much time on X/Twitter. His non-nerdy pursuits involve attending Hard Rock/Heavy Metal concerts and going to NYC bars with friends and colleagues. His work has appeared in publications such as Laptop Mag, PC Mag, and various independent gaming sites.