The most recent information that has surfaced suggests that Apple is getting ready to introduce a wide variety of new Macs that are powered by M3 CPUs.
As is typical, the most recent issue of Mark Gurman’s Moving On newsletter from Bloomberg aggregates the most recent rumors and leaks, but it also frequently includes one or more intriguing new twists. The issue that came out yesterday constitutes an exception to this rule, as it reveals that Apple recently added an additional Mac with an M3 processor to its testing suite, this time in the form of a Mac mini.
The Mac in issue reportedly comes equipped with eight cores of CPU (four economy cores and four-speed cores), ten GPU cores, and twenty-four gigabytes of memory, as per Gurman’s sources. Gurman is of the opinion that this is a Mac mini. Since Apple’s M2 Mac mini debuted in January, a new model for an Apple semiconductor Mac this year would represent the company’s quickest refresh to date.
It utilizes macOS Sonoma 14.1, which is the first “point update” for the operating system that has not yet been released. This fact is noteworthy, but it does not come as a surprise. Version 14 of macOS Sonoma is likely to be released in September through early October, followed by version 14.1 in October or November, along with the latest M3 Macs because it enables compatibility.
The configuration of this test unit is identical to that of a fully optimized M2 system, which consists of 8 cores CPU (4 speeds / 4 efficiency) and 10 GPU cores, as well as 24 GB of RAM.
Gurman now has evidence confirming that five different Macs are being tested with the base M3 processor. These five Macs are the 13-inch as well as the 13-inch MacBook Pro, 15-inch MacBook Air, the Mac Mini, and the iMac. Furthermore, he believes that Apple is testing not one but two different models of the MacBook Pro, one with a 14-inch display and an M3 Pro and the other with a 16-inch display and an M3 Max.
It is currently unclear whether the M3 is going to utilize a chip with a 3nm process or whether it will continue to use a 5nm process like the M2. It is speculated that it is a 3nm chip; however, the 3nm technology is still in its infancy, and it is possible that the entire supply will be required for the A17 processor in the iPhone 15 Pro.
According to a new report published by The Information, Apple’s unique arrangement with TSMC stipulates that the tech giant would only pay for chips that are successfully manufactured using the new process. This requires TSMC to bear the costs associated with chips that are not successful.
It is an uncommon arrangement because usually, businesses buy complete silicon wafers with the intention of extracting as many functional chips as they can from those wafers. However, as we do not know how much Apple charges for the silicon or for having the benefit of absorbing all of TSMC’s initial production of 3nm semiconductors, this debate is purely academic and will not necessarily have an effect on customers or prices.
