Kuo: First MacBooks With M3 Chip Unlikely to Launch This Year

Apple is unlikely to release any new MacBook models with the M3 chip this year, according to information shared today by supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo.

MacBook Air 15 Inch Feature Purple
"It seems that Apple will not launch new MacBook models (equipped with M3 series processors) before the end of this year," Kuo wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.

Earlier this year, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said an Apple event in October of this year could feature the first Macs with the M3 chip. He said Macs that were candidates for the M3 chip included the 13-inch MacBook Air, 13-inch MacBook Pro, and 24-inch iMac. Kuo only ruled out new MacBooks, so there is still potential for a new iMac this year.

The as-yet-unannounced M3 chip is widely expected to be fabricated with TSMC's 3nm process for significant performance and power efficiency improvements compared to the current 5nm-based M2 chip, which debuted in June 2022.

Related Roundup: MacBook Air
Related Forums: MacBook Pro, MacBook Air

Popular Stories

WWDC25 Live Coverage Feature 1

WWDC 2025 Apple Event Live Keynote Coverage: iOS 26, macOS Tahoe, and More

Monday June 9, 2025 9:00 am PDT by
Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) starts today with the traditional keynote kicking things off at 10:00 a.m. Pacific Time. MacRumors is on hand for the event and we'll be sharing details and our thoughts throughout the day. We're expecting to see a number of software-related announcements led by a design revamp across Apple's platforms that will also see the numbering of all of...
liquid glass

Apple Announces All-New 'Liquid Glass' Software Redesign Across iOS 26 and More

Monday June 9, 2025 10:13 am PDT by
Apple today announced a complete redesign of all of its major software platforms called "Liquid Glass." Announced simultaneously for iOS, iPadOS, macOS, watchOS, tvOS, visionOS, and CarPlay, Liquid Glass forms a new universal design language for the first time. At its WWDC 2025 keynote address, Apple's software chief Craig Federighi said "Apple Silicon has become dramatically more powerful...
maxresdefault

Everything Apple Announced at WWDC 2025 in 9 Minutes

Monday June 9, 2025 5:21 pm PDT by
At today's WWDC 2025 keynote event, Apple unveiled a new design that will inform the next decade of iOS, iPadOS, and macOS development, so needless to say, it was a busy day. Apple also unveiled a ton of new features for the iPhone, an overhauled Spotlight interface for the Mac, and a ton of updates that make the iPad more like a Mac than ever before. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel ...
iPadOS 26 Apple Newsroom

Apple Says iPadOS 26 is Compatible With These iPad Models

Monday June 9, 2025 11:22 am PDT by
Apple today announced that iPadOS 26 will be compatible with the iPad models listed below. iPadOS 26 features a new Liquid Glass design, a menu bar, improved app windowing, and more. iPadOS 26 supports the following iPad models:iPad Pro (M4) iPad Pro 12.9-inch (3rd generation and later) iPad Pro 11-inch (1st generation and later) iPad Air (M2 and later) iPad Air (3rd generation and...
iPhone Car Key WWDC 2025

Apple Says These 13 Vehicle Brands Will Soon Offer iPhone Car Keys

Monday June 9, 2025 2:38 pm PDT by
In 2020, Apple added a digital car key feature to its Wallet app, allowing users to lock, unlock, and start a compatible vehicle with an iPhone or Apple Watch. The feature is currently offered by select automakers, including Audi, BMW, Hyundai, Kia, Genesis, Mercedes-Benz, Volvo, and a handful of others, and it is set to expand further. During its WWDC 2025 keynote today, Apple said that 13...
AirTag Backpack

New AirTag With Three Upgrades is 'Nearly Ready' to Launch

Sunday June 8, 2025 11:44 am PDT by
Apple's long-rumored AirTag 2 might be coming soon. In his Power On newsletter today, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman briefly mentioned that a new AirTag is "nearly ready" to launch. Last year, he said that it would be released around the middle of 2025, and the midpoint of the year is just a few weeks away. "The new AirTag is nearly ready, having been prepared for launch over the past several...
Apple WWDC25 iOS 26 hero 250609

Apple Announces iOS 26 With 'Liquid Glass' Design, Live Translation, Overhauled Phone App, and More

Monday June 9, 2025 11:00 am PDT by
Apple at WWDC announced iOS 26, introducing a comprehensive visual redesign built around its new "Liquid Glass" concept, alongside expanded Apple Intelligence capabilities, updates to core communication apps, and more. Liquid Glass is a translucent material that reflects and refracts surroundings to create dynamic, responsive interface elements, according to Apple. The new design language...

Top Rated Comments

VisceralRealist Avatar
23 months ago
Not surprised. M3 Macs this year meant one of two unlikely situations would occur:

1. 13" MBA is updated to M3, but 15" isn't, causing the larger MBA to be a generation of Apple Silicon behind its smaller counterpart.
2. Both MBAs are updated to M3, giving the M2 15" one of the shortest lifespans of any MacBook ever.
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Dwalls90 Avatar
23 months ago
Duh. Said everyone with a brain for the last year.
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Mr. Dee Avatar
23 months ago
It just makes logical sense. How can you introduce a new model MacBook with M2 just this past summer, then update a few months later? Apple is using an approach where products get some time to shine. The M3 iMac will be that product. Its also sustainable and I believe social anthropologists within the company and really explaining to the leadership that a lot of users are chasing feeds and speeds just for the sake of it.

Your YouTube video that you are trying to render faster is really not that important to humanity, seriously.
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
neilw Avatar
23 months ago

Would Apple roll out M3 iMac BEFORE MBs? I have to think NO.
Why not?

Unlike the Macbooks, the iMac is very much (over)due for an update.

And the volume of iMacs is much lower than Macbooks, so they're more likely to be able to keep up with supply.

All product lines are not always updated in perfect synchrony.
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
snak-atak Avatar
23 months ago
Glad I got my 15” MBA when it first came out. No sense waiting for new tech with no eta. You’ll be waiting forever!
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
NT1440 Avatar
23 months ago

A friend of mine wants to replace her MacBook Air from 2013 and I told her she should wait until the new models will be released in October. What should I tell her now?
Tell her any machine she gets now is going to be night and day a drastically more powerful and fluid machine than her 2013.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)