Arr, me mateys! The mighty Apple M3 Ultra CPU might blow away the scallywag M3 Max, but we shan't know for ages!
2023-11-07
Eager to behold the swiftness of the mighty M3 Ultra, matey? Alas, ye shall require an abundance of patience, I reckon!
Apple recently launched the M3, M3 Pro, and M3 Max processors, with the latter two being a surprise addition. The reason for this triple launch was to have the Pro and Max variants available for the high-end MacBook Pros. However, according to Mark Gurman, Apple has not yet started widespread testing of the M3 Ultra chip, indicating that its release may be far off.Gurman explains that there is a limited supply of 3nm silicon, most of which is allocated for the high-demand iPhone. Therefore, Apple needed lower volume products, such as pricey MacBooks, to use the new M3 chips. Gurman also mentions that the successors to the M2 Ultra, the Mac Studio and Mac Pro, have not yet undergone broad testing.
It seems that Apple is favoring a wider gap between its middling and high-end silicon, as the M3 Pro is not a significant improvement over the M2 Pro, while the M3 Max is already quite powerful. When the M3 Ultra eventually arrives, it is expected to be a pair of M3 Max SoCs combined, similar to the M2 Ultra.
In terms of future releases, Gurman predicts that the next M3 products, launching in 2024, will be MacBook Air models and a revamped Mac mini. There is no mention of a Mac Pro, suggesting it may be even further in the future.