Apple could announce the first M3 Apple Silicon Macs in October

Apple is reportedly prepping to launch the first Mac with an M3 Apple Silicon chip. The next-gen devices with the new SoC could be announced later this year.

Bloomberg's Mark Gurman writes in his weekly newsletter, Power On, that Apple is working on releasing the new iMac this October. The company is not expected to unveil new 15-inch MacBook Air or Pro models this year. That is because Apple had launched the 15-inch MacBook Air and M2 Ultra Macs last month.  Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo had hinted earlier that the company's M3 Pro and M3 Max chips will only be ready in 1H of 2024, which is likely the reason why the next-gen MacBook Pros and desktops won't be announced this year.

First M3 Apple Silicon Macs could be launched in October

Apple is said to be focussing on three new Macs with the M3 Apple Silicon chip, a 13-inch MacBook Air, a 13-inch MacBook Pro, and an iMac. The company's 13-inch laptops have been selling like hot cakes, the MacBook Air M1 which debuted in 2020, still has a strong demand among buyers.

As for the performance of the computers, the next-gen chips are said to be built on TSMC's 3 nm process. The Apple M3 may have a 12-core CPU, an 18-core GPU, and could support up to 36 GB of RAM. While the regular version of the M3 chip could be equipped with 6 power-efficient cores and 6-performance cores, a higher-end version of the chip with 8 power-efficient cores and a 20-core GPU is said to be in development, as the M3 Pro. Both models could deliver higher performance and better battery life than the previous-gen's M2 chips.

The iMac market however is quite interesting. It has been two years since Apple launched the 2021 iMac, which came with an M1 Apple Silicon. The company did not opt to release an upgraded version of the all-in-one computer with an M2 chip last year, so a refresh is due. The upcoming M3 iMac will serve as an upgrade for the target audience, while retaining the same core design as its predecessor, i.e. it could sport a 24-inch display.

It is worth noting that Gurman had recently reported that a 32-inch iMac is in development. Apple wants to provide users with a large screen machine, and that it will be powered by an M3 chip. However, the 32-inch iMac may only hit shelves by the end of late 2024.

The Cupertino company is expected to unveil the iPhone 15 series in October, and is also said to reveal the next-gen Apple Watches. It will also announce the stable release of iOS 17, iPadOS 17 and macOS 14 Sonoma. It is likely that the M3 iMac could also be unveiled during the event.

The Bloomberg journalist has hinted that Apple is testing a new iPad that may be announced this year. However, the company is not expected to launch new iPad Pro models with OLED displays and M3 Pro chips until 2024. An iPad Air that may be powered by an M2 Apple Silicon does not sound like a bad deal, especially if we consider the iPad 2022 which came with an M1 chip. A newer model with a better processor, and/or upgrades for the other components could be welcomed by users.

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