Apple's 15-inch MacBook Air to come with M2 chip, latest M3 chipset release may take time: Report
Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has claimed that Apple’s next-generation M3 chip might enter mass production in the second half of this year; ergo, the 15-inch MacBook Air could be offered with the M2 chip.
In a major development, analyst Mark Gurman claimed that Apple’s 15-inch MacBook Air is nearing launch, and could be shipped with a chip that’s “on par” with the current M2 chip. As a result, the 15-inch MacBook Air could be offered with the same M2 chip—that is also offered with the 13.6-inch MacBook Air.
Earlier this month, analyst Mark Gurman claimed that the 15-inch MacBook Air could be offered with the same M2 chip—that is also offered with the 13.6-inch MacBook Air—which launched at WWDC 2022.
Because of the likely launch timeframe, and because the M3 processor may not be ready for release soon—with the MacBook Air 15-inch—Apple may sell the new MacBook Air with the M2 chip, which is already nearly a year old. However, like with the 13.6-inch model, Apple may provide "two alternatives," which will most likely "be M2 with various cores (similar to the M2 13" MacBook Air)."
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Kuo also indicated that "mass production of M3 chip is anticipated to begin in 2H23, slightly ahead of M3 Pro and M3 Max," and that the next 15-inch MacBook model might maintain the MacBook Air moniker.
Apple's M3 chipset would be the company's third major ARM-based chipset, and it would also signal a change to a 3nm technology, as opposed to the 5nm process that the current M2 SoC is available in.
In theory, this might mean huge benefits in terms of performance and other real-world enhancements, but as Ming-Chi Kuo points out, the chipset could still be many months away.