Hype has been growing for Apple’s upcoming M3 chips, which are expected to splash down in a slate of Macs and iPads later this year. Yet one leaker has come along to spoil the party and has claimed that we won’t see anything of the sort until 2024.
That idea comes from Twitter leaker Revegnus, who tweeted that there would be “No M3 Mac or iPad for this year.” That will be disappointing news to anyone looking forward to laying their hands on the latest and greatest Apple silicon chips in the coming months.
According to Revegnus, the delay comes down to “yield issues with TSMC not being able to supply enough of the M3 to Apple,” which follows a similar report that claimed TSMC was “struggling to meet demand” for the chips. TSMC is the company that currently manufactures the bulk of Apple’s own chips, so any problems it has can directly impact Apple’s products.
If the leak is accurate, it’s a particularly bitter pill to swallow since the M3 is widely anticipated to be a significant step up compared to the M2 chip found inside the likes of the current MacBook Air. That’s because it’s due to be made using a 3-nanometer process, which could bring notable speed and efficiency improvements versus the 5nm M2.
A counterintuitive leak
Can you trust this leak? Well, that much is unclear for now. The information has not come from a well-established source such as Ross Young or Mark Gurman, and Revegnus doesn’t have a huge back catalog of Apple leaks with which we can gauge their accuracy.
As well as that, the buzz surrounding the M3 has been generally positive in recent months. We’ve heard how Apple has apparently bought TSMC’s entire supply of first-generation 3nm chips, and that these chips are performing even better than predicted.
Aside from that, numerous outlets have pegged M3 Macs for later in 2023. For instance, 9to5Mac says its sources claim an M3 13-inch MacBook Pro could arrive at Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) in June, while DigiTimes believes an M3 MacBook Air is coming in the second half of the year.
Yet reliable leaker Mark Gurman doesn’t think we’ll get an M3 iPad Pro until 2024, so there could be some merit to the leak from Revegnus. However, Gurman also believes M3 Macs are likely to appear at this year’s WWDC event, so the two individuals are not entirely in alignment.
No doubt we’ll hear more about the M3 in the coming weeks — with WWDC just one month away, we’re sure more leaks will come spilling out before the big day arrives. If the chip is delayed, though, it could put a real dampener on what is being touted as a critical event for Apple.
