MacBook Air M3 could launch in March, but there's bad news for desktop Mac users

Date:
Mon, 11 Dec 2023 12:28:02 +0000

Description:
MacBook Air models with new M3 chip could launch in March but Mac Pro and
Mac Studio fans could be left out in the cold.

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A new leak has claimed that new 13- and 15-inch models of the MacBook Air equipped with Apples new M3 chip will be launching in March 2024, following the release of the M3 MacBook Pro and M3 iMac 24-inch in October.

The M3 model of the MacBook Air has been hotly anticipated for a while now, with some Apple fans surprised to see Apple prioritizing its Pro laptop over the more popular Air when it came to rolling out its new silicon. The new 15-inch MacBook Air with M2 only launched in June of this year, though, so
its likely Apple didnt want to oversaturate the market.

The claim comes from Bloomburgs Mark Gurman in his Power On newsletter, which also detailed new iPad models slated for 2024. Unfortunately for Apples more professional user base, Gurman also believes that the Mac Pro and Mac Studio desktop computers wont see an M3 upgrade until later in 2024 at the very earliest, with a 2025 release likely.

Gurmans sources have frequently proven correct in the past, so while we
should take this rumor with the appropriate saline sprinkle, its probably accurate. Opinion: The M3 MacBook Air is the laptop Ive been waiting for (Image credit: Future)

While the M3 models of the MacBook Pro and iMac were certainly impressive,
the M3 MacBook Air is the model Ive really been looking forward to seeing. Apples Pro laptops are, quite frankly, too expensive to warrant mainstream interest. Dont even get me started on the cost of upgrading the RAM and storage, either.

The Air, on the other hand, comes in at a more accessible price point and is also smaller and lighter or at least, the 13-inch MacBook Air is. I have my own objections to the 15-inch models existence, but this isnt the place to
get into that debate.

In any case, an M3-powered 13-inch Air has the potential to be the single
best compact laptop on the market. The M3 chip represents a bigger generational step up in performance compared to the one seen between the M1 and M2 chips to the point where we all still feel pretty comfortable recommending the more affordable 2020 M1 MacBook Air here at TechRadar.

If the performance of the M3 MacBook Pro (both the 14- and 16-inch versions) is anything to go on, we could be getting a seriously impressive laptop with the M3 MacBook Air. Heck, it might even be the Apple laptop that finally
makes gaming on macOS a genuine option You might also like MacBook Air 2024: latest news, rumors, and what we want to see This nifty MacBook Air cooling design could take performance to the next level iPad 11: what we want to see



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Link to news story: https://www.techradar.com/computing/macbooks/macbook-air-m3-could-launch-in-ma rch-but-theres-bad-news-for-desktop-mac-users


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