- The Apple M3 SoC is tipped to be based on a 3nm fabrication process
- Apple is likely to begin its third-gen chip lineup with MacBook Air and iMac PCs
- It is also said to be working on a larger model of the MacBook Air
A new Apple M3 SoC is expected to be in works at an advanced stage, and Apple is reportedly gearing up to unveil this chipset alongside a new MacBook Air laptop and an iMac desktop PC later this year, according to a new report by noted Apple reporter, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman. The new chip will come at a fairly expected timeline, after the company launched its M2 chip with the MacBook Air (2022) in June last year. The launch, therefore, is likely to fall in line with the regular timeline of new product and chip launches that Apple has practiced so far.
What the Apple M3 SoC could bring for new Macs
According to Gurman’s report, the Apple M3 SoC, based on TSMC’s 3nm fabrication process, is tipped to offer 15 percent better performance, while becoming 30 percent more power efficient. In turn, this could offer better overall performance chops to the MacBook Air lineup, while improving the battery life on MacBook Air. On the iMac, the Apple M3 SoC could lead to better performance for general computing tasks.
However, the report suggests that the refresh to the MacBook Air is likely to not offer any design overhaul, since the laptop got a new design — with a notch at the top-centre of its display — last year. The iMac may get a new design, since it was refreshed in 2021. However, clear details on the same are not available at the moment.
The report also added that Apple is also working on a new screen size of the MacBook Air, which may now come with a 15.5-inch display. However, the latter is tipped to be unveiled with an M2 SoC in Spring 2023, ahead of the unveiling of the Apple M3 SoC later this year. Last week, Apple refreshed its 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro lineup with new M2 Pro and M2 Max processors, retaining the same design language on both. The Mac Mini also got the new M2 Pro processor as part of the overhaul.
