Four New MacBooks on Schedule for Launch in 2024

[Mr. Dee]

We all know Apple will start out with refreshes of the 13 and 15 in Air's in spring and update the MacBook Pro's and possibly the Mac Pro and Studio in June. Don't forget about the iMac which is likely to get the M3 in spring.

I should add, its very likely possibility why the iMac is taking this long, Apple went back to the drawing board with the possibility of introducing a larger screen model analogous to the 15 inch Air. So, maybe a 27 inch iMac is coming this spring. Would love it to be 32 inch though. Starting price $1999.

 

[iPay]

I thought M3 was going to be groundbreaking, but the latest iPhone chip is 3nm and only like 10% faster 🫣

Rrrrrh....I find your lack of faith disturbing....

 

[ghanwani]

These aren’t new, just refreshed.

 

[sw1tcher]

I would still prefer Apple to come out with a new lower cost laptop:
- A17 Pro,
- 8GB RAM / 256G storage,
- 12" "below retina" screen,
- 10Gbps USB4 port,
- headphone port,
- MagSafe3 port
- $750 for everyone, $600 for education.

Putting an A17 Pro chip in your new lower cost MacBook would be a downgrade from the current M1 chip in the 13" MacBook Air that everyone can get right now for between $750 and $800

 

[Beau10]

It is far more likely that the M3 series will first be released on the higher end machines, and not the Air or the Mini. Releasing it on the lower end machines first would result in a significant depression in the higher end sales (Pro).

The Air won't get an M3 until 2025.

That's the opposite of the rollout with the M1/M2, so clearly Apple doesn't agree from a marketing perspective.

The chip releases have followed a progression of complexity to this point - A -> M -> M Pro -> M Ultra. That's for good reason from an engineering standpoint, would be shocked if that changes.

It could be the case that Apple chooses to release the M3 on the iMac first due to the recency of the 15" Air release. But 2025 for an M3 Air is nuts, the 13" M2 came July last year which would mean 2.5+ years between.

 

[docbop]

Four new MacBook models with M3-series chips are on schedule to launch next year, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reports.

In his latest "Power On" newsletter, Gurman said that new 14- and 16-inch MacBook Pro models featuring the M3 Pro and M3 Max chips have now reached design validation testing (DVT), meaning that the devices are nearing mass production. He believes that progress on the new machines indicates that they are likely to launch between early 2024 and the spring, which would mirror the approximate time frame in which the M2 Pro and M2 Max MacBook Pro models launched earlier this year.

New 13- and 15-inch MacBook Air models with the M3 chip have also apparently reached engineering verification testing (EVT), an earlier production testing phase on prototype devices. Gurman says this puts the next-generation MacBook Airs on schedule for launch between the spring and summer of next year at the earliest, which could also mirror the time frame of the current models' launches that took place at WWDC in June 2022 and 2023.

Article Link: Four New MacBooks on Schedule for Launch in 2024

The Apple silicon chips have hit the point of diminishing return for the typical Apple user and only a benefit to those doing compute heavy work like film studios. Even for doing audio work they've hit point of diminishing return because most the performance boost of new Apple silicon is boosting graphic performance.

 

[RoadCyclistID]

GOOD! I have the M2 15" and will be going back to the 13" on the next round. Have not really found the value in the extra real estate. I am sure many are but the weight trade off has not been good enough.

 

[Scepticalscribe]

My dream is a a Macbook Mini which is the 12" Macbook returneth with an M chip and a sim card slot and a gorgeous screen

As is mine.

How many years do we need to wait until they abandon the 15'' Air (which is a contradiction in itself) and reintroduce a smaller form factor, such as a 12'' Macbook with an M1/2/3 processor (and macOS)?

Absolutely agree.

Some of us (including, I suspect, many professional women) love that smaller, lighter, stylish, yet powerful and portable form factor.

13" Air
15" Air
14" Pro
16" Pro

Pretty much the best notebook lineup ever by Apple.

No.

That line up needs an 11" MBA/MB or a 12" MBA/MB to complete it, a small, yet powerful computer.

Personally, I prefer the smaller and lighter form factor (and no, an iPad doesn't cut it, not if you want and need a full keyboard with travel experience - I loathe the experience of typing on a touchscreen).

My wife wants this too. She’s holding on to her 12” MacBook because none of the nt form factors appeal. Alas, I don’t see it coming back any time soon.

I am in complete agreement with your wife, and I think that you will find that a great many women feel the same about this as she does; I certainly do.

 

[ThomasJL]

How many years do we need to wait until they abandon the 15'' Air (which is a contradiction in itself) and reintroduce a smaller form factor, such as a 12'' Macbook with an M1/2/3 processor (and macOS)?

Those are all good points.

Yeah, calling the 15-inch "Air" is, as you said, a contradiction. Tim Cook is clueless, so he doesn't realize that the "Air" name refers to the lightest product in a product line.

The 15-inch Air should be renamed MacBook, and if a 12-inch is introduced, I should get the MacBook Air name.

 

[rwh63]

Much later than I want them to be. Hope my laptop can hold out till then.

And really hope this gen comes with ran upgrade to base RAM and or storage.

me too! clinging to my early 2011 Pro! gonna miss my superdrive.....

 

[rwh63]

As is mine.


Absolutely agree.

Some of us (including, I suspect, many professional women) love that smaller, lighter, stylish, yet powerful and portable form factor.

No.

That line up needs an 11" MBA/MB or a 12" MBA/MB to complete it, a small, yet powerful computer.

Personally, I prefer the smaller and lighter form factor (and no, an iPad doesn't cut it, not if you want and need a full keyboard with travel experience - I loathe the experience of typing on a touchscreen).

I am in complete agreement with your wife, and I think that you will find that a great many women feel the same about this as she does; I certainly do.

yes, i'm a male and clinging to my first gen SE. love the pocket sized form factor (until i need reading glasses)!

 

[umbilical]

glad that I don't need a MBP anymore (I work at home), I have now a mac mini m2 and is great, so I'll wait to buy the Studio M3!

 

[falkon-engine]

iWonder if the new Macs will come with TB5? If so, I'll upgrade from the M1 Max, but if not, I'll just wait until the TB5 arrives.

 

[Scepticalscribe]

yes, i'm a male and clinging to my first gen SE. love the pocket sized form factor (until i need reading glasses)!

Yes, I still have my SE, as well.

This is one of the reasons why diverse design teams are a good idea.

On the one hand, it is all too easy to succumb to group think and mutual admiration when everyone in the group thinks and feels as you do, while, on the other, you can miss out on even noticing stuff that others take seriously, or that matters to others.

For example, as a short, middle-aged woman, who does a lot of international travel (for work), I love the sheer portability - and power - of the 11" MBA, or the 12" MB.

That 11" MBA was one of the best ever computers that Apple designed, and mine (a CTO maxed out model) - quite literally - travelled the world with me, never giving me a minute's trouble.

 

[v3rlon]

I thought M3 was going to be groundbreaking, but the latest iPhone chip is 3nm and only like 10% faster 🫣

Hardware raytracing, like in the new iPhone Pros.

So that at the very least. This would greatly improve possibilities for gaming and 3D animation (and AR).
In these areas, the iPhone 15 is far more than 10% faster.

 

[v3rlon]

The Apple silicon chips have hit the point of diminishing return for the typical Apple user and only a benefit to those doing compute heavy work like film studios. Even for doing audio work they've hit point of diminishing return because most the performance boost of new Apple silicon is boosting graphic performance.

I have been hearing this pretty much since we hit 1Ghz.
It really came on strong at 3GHz.

And yet, the newer models are still much faster than the older ones, and we keep finding ways to use up the increased processor headroom.

But hey, sit on your system for as long as it does what you ask of it.

 

[DavidSchaub]

Putting an A17 Pro chip in your new lower cost MacBook would be a downgrade from the current M1 chip in the 13" MacBook Air that everyone can get right now for between $750 and $800

Fair point.

$699 for everyone
$549 for education

Almost any set of hardware is a reasonable value, for the right price point.

 

[darngooddesign]

In a perfect world…. That would make so much more sense than putting out the low end first and making it confusing for pros… like how many people bought a Mac mini M2 while waiting for the Mac Studio m2 as some of the specs were so close or better than the m1max

IF you could get by with an M2 Mini, you didn't actually need an M2 Studio.

 

[ThomasJL]

Would love it to be 32 inch though.

I think 32 inches is the perfect size for a desktop display. The slightly bigger text at the highest resolution makes text easier to read. I'm no health professional, so maybe I'm wrong, but I'm guessing that's better for the eyes.

In addition, while it's desirable by many to have the smallest laptop Apple offers due to size and weight being main factors in portability, since portability is not a concern for desktops, it makes sense to buy the largest display possible (that is in one's budget).

 

[Lioness~]

We all know Apple will start out with refreshes of the 13 and 15 in Air's in spring and update the MacBook Pro's and possibly the Mac Pro and Studio in June. Don't forget about the iMac which is likely to get the M3 in spring.

I should add, its very likely possibility why the iMac is taking this long, Apple went back to the drawing board with the possibility of introducing a larger screen model analogous to the 15 inch Air. So, maybe a 27 inch iMac is coming this spring. Would love it to be 32 inch though. Starting price $1999.

I would rather have and think it’s more possible with a new 32" ASD added to the lineup before any larger iMac.

 

[DownUnderDan]

What else can we expect besides M3 chips?

There has to be something else?

 

[Corefile]

The minimum specs will likely be bumped to 12/512 due to the unavailability of the lower spec'd chips in quantity being EOL'd. AAPL are literally being forced to upgrade by suppliers.

 

[DownUnderDan]

A simple spec bump that makes memory upgrades less ludicrous

That would be very nice, but it's obvious the pricing tiers for upgrades have been workshopped at Apple for who knows how many hundreds of hours, to ensure they maximise their profit on every tier of Mac and basically most use cases for their computers.

 

[PsykX]

Hardware raytracing, like in the new iPhone Pros.

So that at the very least. This would greatly improve possibilities for gaming and 3D animation (and AR).
In these areas, the iPhone 15 is far more than 10% faster.

Yeah ray-tracing is 4X faster if I remember well.
But ray-tracing has to come with games. At this point game developers might finally start to believe Apple is committed into gaming, but they will still need incentive$ to develop or port AAA games on the Mac.

 

[PsykX]

A simple spec bump that makes memory upgrades less ludicrous

I've gotta say, if M3 is just 10% faster, but comes with ray-tracing and 16GB of RAM minimum for about the same price, it'll be good.

Just the first tier of RAM upgrades is $250 in Canada. Quite expensive...