Mark Gurman of Bloomberg has revealed details on the upcoming 13- and 15-inch MacBook Air laptops, featuring new chips and expected launch dates. An M3 OLED iPad Pro may also be on the way.
The New iMac
The new iMacs will come with the same 24-inch screen size and the same colors (blue, silver, pink, orange) as the current model, with a new M-series chip to replace the M1. There will also be some behind the scenes changes, such as redesigned internal components and a different manufacturing process for attaching the stand.
Development of new iMacs — J433 and J434 — has reached a late stage, but they won’t enter mass production for at least three months. This pushes their expected ship date to the second half of the year.
Apple Scheduled to Launch Three New Macs
Apple is set to release the 15-inch MacBook Air (codenamed J515), the first Mac Pro with Apple-made chips (J180) and a new version of the 13-inch MacBook Air (J513) this late spring/summer, according to Mark Gurman.
MacBook Air Updates Imminent
The report indicates that updates for the MacBook Air are on the way, but the specifics remain unclear. Gurman suggests the 13-inch model is likely to be equipped with the M3 chip, as the 15-inch model with an M2 chip may still be attractive to customers, while a new M2 13-inch MacBook Air likely wouldn’t generate much excitement.
Mac Pro and iMac Set to Receive M2 Ultra Chip
Apple is set to introduce the M2 Ultra chip in the Mac Pro, providing up to 24 CPU cores, 76 graphics cores, and up to 192 gigabytes of memory. The next iMac is also in the works, and the M3 chip could be included in both the 13- and 15-inch MacBook Air laptops.
Gurman didn’t reveal if the 15-inch MacBook Air will be outfitted with the M3 chip. He said an M2 chip-equipped model “may still excite consumers” but would “quickly become outdated” with the M3 on the horizon.
Timeline for the M3 Pro and M3 Max
Gurman believes Apple’s shift from 5-nanometer to 3nm chip design with the upcoming M3 will have a major impact, bringing “major boost” in power efficiency and performance.
The M2 Pro and M2 Max were recently launched with the latest MacBook Pro, but he predicts the M3 Pro and M3 Max won’t be launched until 2024.
M3 Chip and OLED iPad Pro
The M3 chip is expected to land in a new OLED iPad Pro during the first half of 2024, in line with Apple’s trend of spring updates.
Touchscreen OLED MacBook
Gurman predicts “even more exciting Mac upgrades” as early as 2025, potentially including Apple’s first touchscreen OLED MacBook.
Launch date
He hasn’t specified an exact launch date for either of the new MacBook Air laptops, only that they’re expected to arrive between late spring and summer.
If Apple is aiming for an April launch, or at least before June, of the 15-inch model with the M2/M2 Pro, the 13-inch version may arrive at the WWDC with the announcement of the M3 chip.