The dust has barely settled on the new M2 MacBook Pro, announced by Apple this week – but the rumour mill has already turned its attention what's coming next. And if new reports are anything to go by, the MacBook line up could soon get confusing. Again.
Apple is apparently planning to launch a new MacBook Air in the second half of 2023, and it's set to pack a brand new chip (named – you guessed it – M3). Which would mean, once again, that the MacBook Air features a more contemporary chip than it's supposedly faster sibling, the Pro. (Don't fancy waiting? Check out the best Apple deals available now.)
2022's M2 MacBook Air (Image credit: Apple)
According to a new report by DigiTimes (as spotted by MacRumors), Apple is planning to release a new MacBook Air featuring a 3nm chip. "This chip would likely be Apple's next-generation M3 chip, which would offer faster performance and improved power efficiency compared to Apple's current 5nm chips."
Could the new M2 MacBook Pro soon feel outdated? (Image credit: Apple)
The strange thing is, Apple has only just made the MacBook line up sensical again. If you want the most powerful MacBook with the most recent design, surely you want the newest chip too? But until this week, users were forced to choose between form and function, with the super-sleek 14 and 16-inch MacBook Pro featuring a new design, but a mere M1 chip. If a new MacBook Air comes along with M3, those new M2 MacBook Pros are going to look like old news once more. But hey, at least the charging cable is colour-matched.
(1/2)I expect the next new MacBook Pro models, which will adopt M3 Pro/M3 Max processors made by 3nm (likely TSMC's N3P or N3S), will go to mass production in 1H24. https://t.co/8JR4LOHFVsJanuary 17, 2023
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But it looks like this is the way Apple is choosing to go. Just this week, renowned Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo claimed on Twitter (above) that M3 MacBook Pros won't go into mass production until the second half of next year. So if you want the new MacBook while it's still top-of-the-range, you might want to order soon.
Of course, like all Apple rumours, this one needs taking with a pinch of salt until Apple drops its next surprise event or press release. In the meantime, take a look at today's best MacBook Pro deals below.
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Daniel John is Design Editor at Creative Bloq. He reports on the worlds of design, branding and lifestyle tech, and has covered several industry events including Milan Design Week, OFFF Barcelona and Adobe Max in Los Angeles.
