iMac with M3 chip is ‘already in the works’ but it will not launch anytime soon, report says

Apple is reportedly far ahead in developing its future processing chip. The tech giant is said to be already working on a new iMac powered by the “M3” chip. However, Apple fans are advised not to expect its launch anytime soon.

The report comes from the April 24 edition of Bloomberg’s Power On newsletter by Mark Gurman, where the journalist reported hearing about an M3-based iMac being in the works. Gurman did not mention other details about the future Mac product or the specifics of the M3 chip. But it is not surprising that Apple is already working on the future chipset even before it introduces the first entry to its M2 series.

In terms of release date, Gurman noted that the iMac powered by M3 is unlikely to be released this year. He expects the product to be unveiled, at the earliest, in late 2023.

Gurman previously reported that Apple has started “widespread testing” of a range of Mac devices powered by different variations of the M2 chip. He reiterated in the latest edition of his newsletter, that the M2 chip is expected to be used on the new MacBook Air, a new entry-level MacBook Pro, and the next Mac mini.

The journalist noted in his earlier report that the base model of the M2 chip would have eight CPU cores and 10 GPU cores. In comparison, Apple is currently selling an M1-based iMac with an 8-core CPU while there are two variants of M1 for the desktop with 7-core and 8-core GPU.

While the iMac with the M3 chip is not expected to launch, some of the new M2-based Mac products are widely expected to launch sometime this year. Two of them, according to Gurman, could be released as early as mid-2022. It is worth noting that Apple is gearing up for its virtual Worldwide Developers Conference that will start on June 6. While the event is known to focus on Apple’s software plans, it would not be a surprise to see the company announce new hardware products at the WWDC.

Photo by N.Tho.Duc on Unsplash