The MacBook. Picture: AP Photo/Eric Risberg
Apple looks set to improve on its powerful M2 chip as it begins testing an M3 chip, with 12 cores and an 18-core GPU chipset, according to sources.
The US tech giant and producer of the iPhone is weeks away from unveiling a new set of its Mac personal computers, featuring the current M2 chip.
Despite this, Apple insiders believe work is under way on the company’s next-generation personal computer chip, the M3, which could soon be built into future generations of Mac and iPad devices.
According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, who has also previously accurately reported new Apple functionality before their launch, Apple has begun putting next-generation Macs with the M3 chips through their paces, testing them with third-party apps to ensure compatibility with the rest of its software ecosystem.
“It’s not the first time that we’ve gotten an early glimpse at new chips through this process.
“The company has previously revealed specifications of the upcoming 15-inch MacBook Air and Apple Silicon Mac Pro, as well as many of the prior M2-based machines,” Gurman said.
He added that the M3 version in testing has 12 CPU cores, 18 graphics cores and 36 gigabytes of memory, according to data collected by an App Store developer, and shared with Power On.
“The CPU, the chip’s main processor is made up of six high-performance cores that handle the most intensive tasks and six efficiency cores that kick in for operations that need less power,” Gurman said.
According to Apple’s reporting website, Macworld, Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference is expected to take place in June, 2023, a likely venue for the new set of Mac devices to be launched.
According to the latest statistics, the company is expected to be looking to bolster its line-up of Mac offerings after its Mac business suffered a 31% decline in sales during the last quarter.
At its release in October, 2021, Apple’s M1 chip was one of the most powerful features among all PCs, regardless of the operating system.
The M1 Pro chip featured eight CPU cores, comprising six high-performance cores and two power-efficient cores, with 14 graphics cores and 32GB of memory.
Meanwhile, the M2 Pro was released in January, this year, and features 10 CPU cores made up of six high-performance cores and four power-efficient cores, with 16 graphics cores and 32GB of memory.
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