Apple is reportedly working on an M3 chip in addition to the M2 chip. The silicon is already in development and being tested by the Cupertino-based giant, according to Mark Gurman of Bloomberg. The chip is one of the upcoming custom-based silicon chips for Mac machines.
In his latest edition of the Power On newsletter, Gurman reported on Sunday that while Apple is working on the M2 chip, another powerful silicon chip named the M3 chip is also being tested by the company.
Gurman notes that the M3 chip will launch at least until the end of the next year which is 2023 at the earliest. The chip would be installed on a new iMac.
“I’ve heard that the M2 chips aren’t the only ones in testing within Apple. And if you’re waiting for a new iMac, I’m hearing an M3 version of that desktop is already in the works””though I imagine it won’t launch until the end of next year at the earliest. Also, for those asking, I still think an iMac Pro is coming. It just won’t be anytime soon.”
Last week, Gurman detailed Apple’s roadmap for the M2 chip and it includes:
- An M2 chip for a new MacBook Air, entry-level MacBook Pro, and Mac mini
- M2 Pro and M2 Max chips for a new 14-inch MacBook Pro and 16-inch MacBook Pro
- A dual M2 Ultra chip for the Mac Pro
The Cupertino-based giant is rumored to re-introduce the 27-inch iMac Pro this year. However, if this report turns out to be correct, it is possible that the upcoming machine get delayed until 2023.
This coincides with an earlier report of Apple not planning to launch a new large iMac machine. Gurman stated multiple times that new Mac machines are due to launch during this May/June period, possibly during WWDC 2022 on June 8.
Earlier this year, Gurman reported that this fall, Apple will announce its “widest array of hardware products in its history.” In March, the company unveiled the Mac Studio, a hybrid between the high-end Mac Pro and the low-end Mac mini, housing the M1 Ultra chip ”“ the most powerful Apple Silicon processor yet.
