October M3 MacBook hopes dashed as report claims we'll have to wait until 2024

You won’t be buying a new M3 MacBook Air or MacBook Pro before the turn of the year. That’s according to a new report that dashes hopes of an imminent MacBook update.

There had been some expectation that Apple would refresh at least some of its laptop lineup with new M3 chips before the end of 2023, with an October unveiling having been the main focus of attention. But that now seems increasingly unlikely after a new report pointed to 2024 as the likely release.

The M3 chip will be Apple’s first Mac chip to use the latest TSMC 3nm manufacturing platform, but any benefits that will have for laptop owners will not be realized until next year, it seems.

It’s a waiting game

This is all according to a new report by the supply chain watchers at DigiTimes, at least. The outlet hasn’t always been the most accurate when it comes to making predictions about Apple’s plans, but this also isn’t the first time that we’ve heard rumors that the expected October M3 laptop launch might not happen.

In this report, DigiTimes claims that Apple will be part of an increase in laptop shipments in 2024, thanks in part to the arrival of new laptops that will use TSMC’s 3nm chips. Those chips will of course be the M3 offerings that will surely include the M3 Pro and M3 Max, too.

This doesn’t necessarily mean that we won’t see any M3 Macs before the year comes to a close, though. The 24-inch iMac and Mac mini are still possibilities for a 2023 unveiling, the former of which is long overdue an update and is still sold with the M2 chip.

None of the M3 chips will be the first Apple silicon to use TSMC’s 3nm manufacturing process, of course. The iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max already have the A17 Pro inside, Apple’s first 3nm offering.