- M3-equipped MacBooks reportedly delayed to 2024
- iMac refresh with M3 might still launch this year
- Reasoning behind delay is unclear
- No word if delay affects other M3-based chips like M3 Pro and M3 Max
Apple may ultimately no longer launch any new MacBook models this year as the company may have delayed its plans to launch any new laptops with the yet-to-be-announced M3 chip, according to oft-reliable analyst Ming-Chi Kuo.
According to a new post on X, Kuo now claims that Apple “will not launch new MacBook models” with the M3 chip in 2023, implying that any new MacBooks originally planned for this year – including the 13-inch MacBook Air and entry-level MacBook Pro – may have been delayed to sometime in 2024.
The reasoning behind the delay is unclear at this stage, but Apple and its chip-making partner TSMC may have run into unforeseen issues with the new 3-nanometer node process expected to power next-gen Apple silicon, namely the A17 Bionic chip and M3 family of processors.
Kuo specifically mentions MacBooks only with no regard to desktops like the iMac, which Bloomeberg‘s Mark Gurman earlier reported could be one of Apple’s first Mac models to receive the new chip in a much-needed upgrade from the two-year-old M1 chip.
Kuo also fails to mention whether the delay is set to propagate to other M3-based chips like the M3 Pro and M3 Max, which were already expected to be released by mid-2024 on refreshed 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pros.
Apple was widely expected to hold another event as soon as October to reveal new Mac models touting the new M3 chip. If today’s reporting proves correct, Tuesday’s “Wonderlust” iPhone 15 event might be the last major Apple event this year after the announcements-rich keynote at WWDC 2023.
