Apple M3 release date prediction, rumored specs & M3 Macs

We look forward to the Apple M3 chip release date & more

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The Apple M3 release date is closer than ever, with all (potentially) being revealed sooner than you may think. Now we’ve cruised past the launch of the iPhone 15, next up is Apple’s recently announced ‘Scary Fast’ event, which could means moving on to M3 for the next round of Apple desktops and MacBooks. We also talk you through rumored specs, potential M3 Mac models, and more.

There hasn’t been any official word from Apple just yet about the M3 chip, but that is likely to change very soon. We saw plenty of excitement back during Apple’s WWDC keynote and reveal of the M2 ultra chip, but now we’re already close to the M3 release date. That’s why we want to bring you the latest news, rumors, and predictions for the Apple M3 chip release date. The latest details and early predictions provide us some promising insight to the development thus far.

Apple M3 chip release date prediction

There are some interesting rumors about the Apple M3 chip release date. This system-on-a-chip (or SoC for short) will be powering many of the next-generation Apple products such as their MacBook Pro / MacBook Air, Mac Studio, Mac Pro, or iMac. First thing to mention is that another Apple Event is taking place, which you may call ‘Scary Fast’. It’s taking place on October 30th, 2023 and could see the reveal of Apple M3 hardware, just as we step into Halloween. It will be live on Apple’s website or via this YouTube link. Not quite a concrete release date, but exciting news. Well-respected Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has tweeted that the event could be focused around a new M3 MacBook Pro reveal, the first time we see an M3 chip.

Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman previously reported that Apple started testing on M3 chips with third-party apps. This came from Mark Gurman’s Power On newsletter which reveals that the very first M3 Macs are likely to launch in October this year. This is all lining up to the Apple Event and yet another update from Bloomberg and Mark Gurman’s Power On newsletter tells us that new MacBook Pros and a new iMac are set to be unveiled at the Scary Fast event, alongside three M3 processors. This is quite unusual given the chips usually get a staggered release between the base chip, then Pro & Max variants.

Worth noting though that a previous rumor from leaker Revegnus states that there will be no M3 Macs or M3 iPads this year, due to ‘yield issues with TSMC’, a chipmaker based in Taiwan, hindering supplies. That still leaves the possibility of 2024 open for these devices though. Since we recently saw the release of the 15-inch MacBook Air, we look forward to the high-end MacBook Pro (or potentially upcoming iMac) for the latest M3 chip.

Apple Silicon chip release date history

These M1, M2, and upcoming M3 chips are part of the Apple Silicon generation, which started once Apple switched from Intel architecture to their very own – labeled Apple Silicon. This marked a fresh start, therefore the beginning of the M-series chips. To understand how this has developed over the past few years, we’ve put together a release date history before we hit the Apple M3 chip release date.

• Apple M1: November 10th, 2020
• Apple M1 Pro: October 18th, 2021
• Apple M1 Max: October 18th, 2021
• Apple M1 Ultra: March 8th, 2022
• Apple M2: June 24th, 2022
• Apple M2 Pro: January 17th, 2023
• Apple M2 Max: January 17th, 2023
• Apple M2 Ultra: June 13th, 2023

As you can see, Apple have been working through these generations quickly. The Pro & Max chips have released together in the first two generations, but this might not be the case for M3, as the M3, M3 Pro, and M3 Max are expected to launch together. That just leaves the Ultra for some time in 2024 we’d say.

Apple M3 chip specs rumors

There have been some rumored specs for the Apple M3 chip. Even early on, this Bloomberg article shared some interesting details, showing an increase in CPU cores, graphics cores, and memory. They say that early testing of M3 chips in next-generation Macs has been leaked, with data collected by an unnamed App Store developer, then shared to the Power On newsletter. Since then, Mark Gurman has released his personal predictions in a recent edition of Power On just prior to the ‘Scary Fast’ Apple event.

The M3 chip is rumored to use the 3nm process from TSMC, which explains why the M3 may have been delayed a little due to the aforementioned supply issues. Currently, the MacBook Air and iPad Pro use TSMC’s less powerful 5nm (nanometer) process.

Apple M3 predicted specs

Specification	M3	M3 Pro	M3 Max
Processor	8 CPU cores (4 high performance + 4 efficiency)	12 CPU cores (6 high performance, 6 efficiency) / 14 CPU cores	16 CPU cores (12 high performance, 4 efficiency)
Graphics	10 GPU cores	18 GPU cores / 20 GPU cores	32 GPU cores / 40 GPU cores
Memory	Unknown, faster memory config than M2	36GB RAM	Unknown

Apple M3 Mac models – what devices will Apple M3 be in?

Plenty of rumors have been circulating the web for some time now regarding which devices the new Apple M3 chips will feature in. We know that Apple only recently released a new 15-inch Macbook Air, so it’s unlikely that this model will be refreshed with an M3 chip any time soon. Current predictions point towards the MacBook Pro as the main contender, but there are also whispers of a new iMac (which hasn’t seen a new model since Spring 2021).

Of course, that’s not every model of Mac, but the newest Mac Pro and and Mac Studio boasting the M2 Ultra chip will almost certainly be left out of the equation for some time now. Furthermore, the 2023 Mac Mini was also released at the start of the year with a M2 chip, so this is another device not currently on our radar for a brand-new M3 chip.

Apple M3 chip FAQs

How much faster will Apple M3 chip be?

Each generation of M-series chip has already provided a sizeable upgrade. Early leaks for the M3 Pro chip suggest that it’s a step above, jumping up to a base of 12 CPU cores, 18 GPU cores, and 36GB of RAM.

Is MacBook Air M3 coming out?

There is no official word on a MacBook Air featuring the Apple M3 chip just yet. Rumors are circulating though.

The latest 15-inch MacBook Air M2 was recently made available on June 13th, 2023. We could instead see the 13.6-inch MacBook Air M3 arrive soon, but the MacBook Pro is looking more likely.

Apple M3 release date : Final word

We know for certain that the Apple M3 chip release date is on the way. In fact, it may even be sooner than you’d expect, especially since we’ve only just seen the release of the M2 Ultra. Up until the release date of the M3 chip, we’ll keep you updated with latest rumors and leaks – as well as any official word from Apple.