Apple M3 MacBook Air to offer big performance upgrades! And a new iMac as well

Apple will launch a new MacBook Air later this year or early next year with the M3 chip. Check all details.

Apple MacBook Air with the M3 chip could launch later this year. (Representative Image) (Amritanshu / HT Tech)

Apple recently completed its family of M2 powered Mac with the updated 2023 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models. The new M2 Pro and M2 Max chip promise notable gains in performance and power efficiency. However, the next-generation M3 chip is coming to the latest Macs very soon and it could bring big upgrades in terms of overall performance and power efficiency.

Based on a tip from Apple leak guru Mark Gurman of Bloomberg, the new Apple M3 powered Macs are expected to come by the end of this year or early next year. The company is already working on a new MacBook Air and a new iMac, both seemingly powered by the unannounced Apple M3 chip. It is even said that Apple could announce the M3 chip at the WWDC 2023 event in Summer with these updated Mac models.

Apple to launch M3 powered Macs

The M3 chip is said to be built on the 3nm process, which should offer notable gains in performance and power efficiency. TSMC, who is fabricating the chip, has managed to extract 15 percent gains in CPU performance and 30 percent gains in GPU performance. Rumours suggest that the M3 chip update will see the current MacBook Air retain its design and the same can be said for the iMac, which is still coming with the M1 chip.

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However, rumours said a few months ago that Apple is also working on a bigger 15-inch MacBook Air alongside the updated 13-inch version. Hence, the M3 chip update could see Apple announce this bigger MacBook Air to the world.

Gurman also says that Apple could follow the routine and announce the M3 Pro and M3 Max chips for the 2025 MacBook Pro lineup update, wherein Apple could give it OLED display with a touchscreen input.

At the moment, the M2 chip is the sole focus for the Mac range this year. The range starts with the M1-powered MacBook Air from 2020 as the most affordable laptop from Apple. The M2 MacBook Air offers the new chip, a bigger display and a newer design. The 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro are revamped versions of their predecessor with the new M2 Pro and M2 Max chips. The Mac Mini also gets the M2 and M2 Pro chips for 2023.