If you’re eagerly waiting for one of the best MacBooks to launch with Apple’s super-efficient M3 chips, we’ve got some disappointing news: they might not be released until next year. That’s a big change from previous rumors, which suggested we could see the new laptops emerge any day now.
The idea comes from news outlet DigiTimes, which published a report outlining predictions for the next five years of laptop shipments. In the report, DigiTimes claims that Apple “is expected to experience a significant decline in shipments in 2023 as the US brand vendor plans to transit to CPUs built by a 3nm node at TSMC for performance upgrading in 2024.”
In other words, MacBook sales will drop this year because Apple isn’t planning on launching any new laptops until 2024.
That flies in the face of what we’ve heard from some well-established leakers and analysts, but DigiTimes is not the only voice making this claim – and if it's accurate, it’ll be tough reading for Mac fans desperate for an upgrade.
Muddying the waters
Right now, Apple is in the process of launching a new wave of chips made using a 3nm process by manufacturer TSMC. This process is expected to result in improved performance and efficiency compared to what you get with the 5nm M2 chips in the current MacBook lineup.
Delaying the launch of MacBooks with the new chips would be a real shame. While the M2 is still an excellent chip, it’s not the seismic leap over the M1 that some people had expected. If the M3 lives up to expectations, though, it could bring a new level of performance to Apple’s portable Macs.
Bloomberg journalist Mark Gurman has previously claimed that Apple will launch new Macs with M3 chips in October this year, with the 13-inch MacBook Pro, 13-inch MacBook Air and 24-inch iMac the likely candidates. MacRumors also believes a new Mac is imminent. However, Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has contested that, saying no new MacBooks will launch before 2024. That leaves the door open for the iMac, but not much else.
Now, though, DigiTimes has put a real dampener on things. We’re not expecting an Apple event this October, so the company would likely launch any M3 Macs via press releases. Right now, the waters have been muddied considerably – but if you’ve been waiting to upgrade, you may need to hold tight for a little longer.
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