Summary:
Apple is testing new Macs with processors equivalent to its existing M2 chip, according to Mark Gurman from Bloomberg.
The details are based on developer logs seen by Bloomberg, where these new Macs have been testing third-party apps. Apple saw its Mac shipments drop 40% year-over-year in Q1, its biggest decline since 2000.
The logs show the company is preparing a laptop with processor specifications similar to current models but with a larger, higher-resolution display, most likely the 15-inch MacBook Air. The M3 chip will introduce a 3-nanometer production process up from the current 5-nanometer standard.
The chip in the new laptop reportedly has eight main processing cores and ten graphics cores, similar to the current M2. The computer also has 8 gigabytes of memory, similar to the existing MacBook Air.
The laptop is codenamed “Mac 15,3” and the screen resolution is about the same as the 14-inch high-end MacBook Pro. This larger Air would have the same resolution as the MacBook Pro, but won’t be as sharp.
The new Macs were found to be running macOS 14, the next version of the operating system expected to be unveiled at WWDC in June.
Apple is also reportedly planning updates for the 13-inch Air, 24-inch iMac, and entry-level 13-inch MacBook Pro. The first Mac Pro with Apple Silicon is also in the works but has yet to see the light. New 14 and 16-inch MacBook Pro models with a new higher-end M3 chip are expected in the first half of next year.
Gurman points out that these same developer logs also revealed accurate details regarding Apple’s M2 Macs and also its first Apple Silicon chip, the M1.
