You want a new Mac or a new MacBook? Better wait until 2024 then

After TSMC announced in December 2022 that mass production had started with the new 3nm process, many Apple analysts expected that the new M3 Macs, which are based on 3nm, would be released in 2023. According to Apple expert Ming Chi Kuo, production of the M3 chips has not yet started.

M3 Macs are no longer scheduled to appear this year

In a tweet, Kuo announced that Apple will begin mass production of the M3 chips in the second half of 2023. These are produced using TSMC’s new 3nm process, as opposed to the 5nm process used for the M2 chips. The new process should provide a significant increase in performance and efficiency.

link to Twitter content

According to the Apple analyst, the Macbook Air with a 15-inch display, which is still being speculated for this year, will still use the M2 chip in two different core configurations.

Unfortunately, this announcement also means that the first Macs with the new chip 2024 at the earliest will appear. It can be expected that the M3 chip will be installed in the following Apple computers in the future:

• 13 inch MacBook Air
• 13 inch MacBook Pro
• 24 inch iMac
• Mac Mini

Die High-End-Chips M3 Pro and M3 Max should, according to Kuo, go into mass production a little later and be intended for the following laptops:

• 14 inch MacBook Pro
• 16 inch MacBook Pro

Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman expects the two high-end MacBooks to be available in the first half of 2024, which is in line with Kuo’s expectations.

It’s worth waiting for the Macs with the M3 chip

The M2 chip offers modest improvements over the M1, although most M1 users will likely not notice any significant differences when upgrading to the M2. The M2’s advances are generally rewarding, if not revolutionary.

Although the M2 offers improvements in all areas thanks to its improved 5nm process, updated cores and additional GPU cores, users who work with video and those with memory-intensive workflows will particularly benefit. Nevertheless, you pay significantly more money for the M2 chip, for one moderate performance boost.

We advise everyone who is currently looking for a new Apple computer to either get an M1 MacBook, which currently has a very good price-performance ratio, or simply wait until 2024 for the first Macs with M3 Are available.

The new 3 nm process promises a significantly higher increase in performance and energy efficiency compared to the M2, which is still produced using the 5 nm process. Of course, an M2 Mac is also worthwhile if you can benefit from the improved performance compared to the M1 chips.

Now it’s your turn: Are you currently looking for a new Mac or are you considering upgrading? For M1 Mac owners, how satisfied are you with the performance and is the jump in performance over the M2 enough to motivate you to upgrade? Or do you see it the same way and prefer to wait for the new M3 chip? Write us your opinion on the topic in the comments!