Apple Inc. has begun testing its high-end next-generation laptop processor, setting the stage for the release of its most powerful MacBook Pro ever next year.
The new M3 Max chip includes 16 main processing cores and 40 graphics cores, according to test logs from a third-party Mac app developer that was seen by Bloomberg News. The processor is at the heart of a high-end MacBook Pro laptop — a model codenamed J514 — that’s expected to debut next year.
The central processing unit includes 12 high-performance cores, which handle demanding tasks like video editing, and four efficiency cores for less-intensive applications, such as browsing the web. Compared with the top-of-the-line version of the current M2 line of laptops, the new chip has four more high-performance CPU cores and at least two additional graphics cores. The MacBook Pro in testing also included 48 gigabytes of memory.
The company is likely testing multiple variations and core-count options, of which this version is one. A representative for Cupertino, California-based Apple declined to comment.
The new machine represents the latest advance in the company’s in-house chip effort, known as Apple Silicon, and could help entice consumers back to a Mac lineup that has fallen on hard times. Sales of the computers are expected to decline by a double-digit percentage this quarter, and Apple is counting on performance increases to get users upgrading again.
On that front, the M3 chips should be a major selling point. They’re the biggest upgrade to processors since the Apple Silicon lineup debuted in 2020, when the company first began replacing Intel Corp. chips in the Mac. Since launching the M1 that year, Apple has released several variations for laptops like the MacBook Air and high-performance desktops like the Mac Pro. As of June of this year, the company has transitioned its entire computer line away from Intel.
The M3 chip will mark the first time Apple is shifting to a 3-nanometer production process for Mac chips, which promises to provide better battery life and strong performance gains. Apple will use a similar technology for the A17 processor launching in the iPhone 15 Pro in September.
When the company tests upcoming devices and processors, it seeks to ensure that they’re compatible with a vast ecosystem of software and services, including third-party apps. The logs from those tests can indicate what new chips are in the pipeline and have accurately revealed details about the latest Mac processors over the past two years. That included the names of Apple’s first high-end Mac chips in 2021 — the M1 Pro and M1 Max — in addition to specifications for Apple’s past several laptop and desktop releases.
Apple is contending with a broader slowdown in personal computer demand, which followed a pandemic-fueled boom in home-office spending. But the company also is in a lull between new versions of its most enticing machines. Though Apple recently released a 15-inch MacBook Air, as well as updated Mac Studios and Mac Pro models, its two most popular Macs — the 13-inch MacBook Air and 13-inch MacBook Pro — haven’t been updated since last year. The high-end MacBook Pros were last refreshed in January.
As with earlier Mac chip generations, the company is preparing a range of different M3 models. The base M3 will have the same configuration as the M2, with eight CPU cores and up to 10 core graphics cores, according to test logs. A M3 Pro chip, meanwhile, will start off at 12 CPU cores and 18 graphics cores. The M3 Max chip is the next level up, and an even higher-end chip — the successor to the M2 Ultra — hasn’t shown up yet in test logs.
The transition to the M3 chip will likely begin in October, starting with updates to the company’s entry-level Macs. Apple has been testing M3-based iMacs, 13-inch MacBook Pros, 13-inch and 15-inch MacBook Airs, and Mac minis — all slated for release within the next 12 months. Updated versions of the 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models are likely to come in 2024 with M3 Pro and M3 Max chips.
During its quarterly earnings report last week, Apple implied that new Macs wouldn’t launch until after the fiscal fourth quarter, which concludes at the end of September. The company is planning a product launch for October, Bloomberg has reported, the same month it has introduced new Macs in the past.
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