Here Are All the M3 Macs Still Expected This Year

[crsh1976]

I just got an M3 Air but I love it so much and would pick up an M3 Mini for at my desk even though I have a really high spec PC. It seems it won't be out any time soon though so who cares.

Overall, the current Mac mini with M2 Pro is still potent, the M3 Pro is essentially a sidegrade in comparison unless you have a specific need for such things as raytracing.

I really wish Apple would update the case and make it smaller tho, with the current architecture there is a lot of wasted space.

 

[sunny5]

What if Apple does the right thing and kicks off WWDC with the M4 series, and the Mini, Studio and Pro are the first to get it? The Macbook Pro’s would follow late 2024. We would have gone back to a regular 12-month upgrade schedule and everyone would rejoice. Except those who bought the M2 Ultra, lol.

If the Scary Fast event was indeed a ”****, we need to stop dragging our asses, we are losing to the competition. Send the M3 out even though we don’t have supply for all models and make it a short cycle instead of a very long one due to COVID and supply restraints”. It would explain it.

However, if they rushed it because of.. ?? then this is likely not happening.

SoC itself is a biggest problem for Mac Pro and as long as they keep using it, it wont gonna solve.

 

[freezelighter]

Apple has so far adopted an 18-month cycle of M1 to M2, and M2 to M3, so it would be reasonable to assume a 2025 launch for M4 MacBook Pro models if Apple sticks with the same tempo.

Between my expensive M2 Max and the new M3 Max, there were no 18 month. It was a terrible experience.

 

[Fuzzball84]

Im looking forward to getting an Apple Silicon mac mini… however my intel mac mini i bought in 2020 is doing really well. Ill probably be looking at M5 or M6 before i get the Apple Silicon variety.

I wonder if the form factor will have changed by then… they could make it as small as the Apple TV given further efficiency increases. However, what would be really cool is a completely passively cooled system in the current design. That would be really nice, one less mechanical component to wear out and fail… however, i think Apple seem to use the best quality fans available considering ive never had one fail… and they run super quiet.

 

[Tagbert]

Seems odd that Gurman doesn't toss in a mention of the Vision Pro to chum the M3 water. Imagine my dismay when my wife refused to name our youngest daughter 'Gurman'.

Is she holding out to name your daughter "Ming-Chi"? 😆

 

[F-B-Z]

It is such a pity that there is nowhere a super-portable Macbook with 11'' or 12'' on that roadmap. I guess this is purely due to the fact that Apple would cannibalize their iPad sales. However, iPadOS is just not well-suited for any real work beyond writing a text (and even that is severely limited in an academic context requiring a citation manager).

 

[Lilibu]

I bought the last intel based maxed-out CTO 27 imac. The price was around $3000. Today there is no such thing. If I buy an M2 studio and don't think about the ultra processor and up the spec to the max, the price is $3200. But on top of that I have to buy a monitor for $1800. Total: 5000! 3000 vs 5000 here's the problem. Unfortunately this is not the first time this has happened in the last 15 years.

 

[Chuckeee]

M3 MacBook Pros came out 5 months ago…. They could have put these in a studio by now at least.

Not without an M3 Ultra version (no one has seen an M3 Ultra chip yet). An M3 Max Studio by itself would kill the sales of the higher margin M2 Ultra Studio. So no M3 Max Studios unless there are M3 Ultra Studios too.

 

[Chuckeee]

What if Apple does the right thing and kicks off WWDC with the M4 series, and the Mini, Studio and Pro are the first to get it? The Macbook Pro’s would follow late 2024. We would have gone back to a regular 12-month upgrade schedule and everyone would rejoice. Except those who bought the M2 Ultra, lol.

No chance. Apple Mac lines is clearly dominated by MacBook sales. Latest and Greatest processing technology will always be introduced in laptops before desktops.

 

[Realityck]

No chance. Apple Mac lines is clearly dominated by MacBook sales. Latest and Greatest processing technology will always be introduced in laptops before desktops.

I'm still waiting for Apple to offer a M3 MacBook in the 11" to 12" range that one can carry everywhere like a tablet. But unlike a tablet the folding design with the keyboard/trackpad is more desirable to utilize. I still like iPads but if they are going to sell larger tablets, they better start making smaller MacBooks.

 

[v3rlon]

Not without an M3 Ultra version (no one has seen an M3 Ultra chip yet). An M3 Max Studio by itself would kill the sales of the higher margin M2 Ultra Studio. So no M3 Max Studios unless there are M3 Ultra Studios too.

And this is what I want. I go back and forth making the case for Pro or Studio, but I want the M3 Ultra, which is, so far, quite elusive.

 

[chucker23n1]

Overall, the current Mac mini with M2 Pro is still potent, the M3 Pro is essentially a sidegrade in comparison

17% per core and 7% at multi-core isn’t huge, but given that there were only 9 months between the two SoC releases, it's nothing to sneeze at.

 

[chucker23n1]

I bought the last intel based maxed-out CTO 27 imac. The price was around $3000. Today there is no such thing. If I buy an M2 studio and don't think about the ultra processor and up the spec to the max, the price is $3200. But on top of that I have to buy a monitor for $1800. Total: 5000! 3000 vs 5000 here's the problem. Unfortunately this is not the first time this has happened in the last 15 years.

So your criticism here is that the Mac Studio can be had in higher-end CPU configs than the iMac?

(Which isn't even really true. The iMac Pro went way above $3000.)

 

[dragoon2745]

Any chance Thunderbolt 5 shows up on the Mac Studio and maybe the Mac Pro?

 

[Lilibu]

So your criticism here is that the Mac Studio can be had in higher-end CPU configs than the iMac?

(Which isn't even really true. The iMac Pro went way above $3000.)

No, my problem is different, and it is not criticism. iMac 27 is dead. The current option, which is similar to the old one, is 2x more expensive. This is the problem. It's not the first time I've felt that Apple's desktop family is not logically structured. There is studio and pro, which is actually nonsensical. And there are the entry level machines on the other half. Again, the middle segment suffers. Or am I wrong, there is a solution only one and a half times more expensive than the 27 maxed out which was a powerhouse in its day.

 

[EugW]

Any chance Thunderbolt 5 shows up on the Mac Studio and maybe the Mac Pro?

That's a definite... maybe.

 

[chucker23n1]

No, my problem is different, and it is not criticism. iMac 27 is dead. The current option, which is similar to the old one, is 2x more expensive.

But it's not. Even the $1,299 M1 iMac from 2021 was faster than the last 27-inch iMac. You don't have to get the M2 Ultra; that was a constraint you set yourself for no real reason. You could also get a $599 mini with M2, or a $1,299 one with M2 Pro, or a $1,999 Studio with M2 Max. That one will run circles around your iMac 27.

This is the problem. It's not the first time I've felt that Apple's desktop family is not logically structured. There is studio and pro, which is actually nonsensical. And there are the entry level machines on the other half. Again, the middle segment suffers.

But it doesn't? Just get either the mini with M2 Pro, or the Studio with M2 Max.

 

[jouster]

I bought the last intel based maxed-out CTO 27 imac. The price was around $3000. Today there is no such thing. If I buy an M2 studio and don't think about the ultra processor and up the spec to the max, the price is $3200. But on top of that I have to buy a monitor for $1800. Total: 5000! 3000 vs 5000 here's the problem. Unfortunately this is not the first time this has happened in the last 15 years.

Does a Mac Mini M2 Pro and Apple Studio Display fulfill your needs? With 16GB of RAM, 1 TB SSD, 10 CPU cores, 16 GPU cores, and 16 Neural Engine cores, you'd be out about $3100 if you added an Apple Display. It's 27" -- same as your iMac (though I know it's not 5k). Or you could choose a cheaper display and beef up the computer.

Edit: chucker23n1 and I were clearly posting at the same time!

 

[crsh1976]

17% per core and 7% at multi-core isn’t huge, but given that there were only 9 months between the two SoC releases, it's nothing to sneeze at.

Just saying, if there’s no M3 Pro version coming (but we don’t know that for sure), the current M2 Pro is nearly as good.

 

[ruka21]

Personally I can't stand having so many things connected via Thunderbolt and would love something between the Mac Studio and the Mac Pro that I can add storage internally.

 

[chucker23n1]

Just saying, if there’s no M3 Pro version coming (but we don’t know that for sure), the current M2 Pro is nearly as good.

Agreed.

 

[Siliconguy]

I have visited several Apple stores in the past year. Interestingly, I have yet to see anyone looking at a Mac Mini or a Mac Studio. They sit there neglected and all alone. Apple looks like they have lost the desktop business.

I'm not surprised. the base mini is port starved, a poor choice for a desktop. The Studio is a video production machine, but how many people do that?

That leaves the mini pro. That has a useful number of ports, and combined with a Satechi or Qwiizlab hub it would be quite workable. But the pair is $1400. Pretty steep compared to the competition.

If you want a desktop you either need the powerful CPU and big storage for work, or you need a bundle of connections to the rest of the world. My desktop has 11 USB ports. Six of them are in use, and I have a second internal drive and a DVD burner that would have to be on USB ports if I didn't have internal options.

If you don't fit into either of those categories then a laptop is fine. The MacBook Air gets a lot of USB drives in and out, (sneaker net lives on) but only occasionally needs the dock installed, usually for an SD card.

It's not just Apple, there are a lot of really nice corporate desktops for sale on the refurbished market. The mini PC desktop market is doing well, or at least there are a lot of offerings there. Like this one;

Beelink GTR7 Pro Review a Faster AMD Ryzen 9 Mini PC

The Beelink GTR7 Pro is even better with a faster AMD Ryzen 9 7940HS CPU and an updated design making it the mini PC to beat right now

www.servethehome.com

 

[steve333]

How would you feel if it base was 16GB but it also cost $200 more? With no cheaper option?

I mean I agree completely that 16GB should be the lowest build in 2024. But it will cost more. But the HD space is far more egregious, $200 for 265GB is insane for 2 reasons. 1. The cost to Apple is so low, and 2, there is no advantage to it being onboard.

Unified onboard memory does add a lot of value, it's far faster than socketed RAM. But NVMe?? It could be in the next room and it would still be the same speed. So putting it onboard with not upgrade options adds nothing.

Installing it during assembly is just as cheap as installing 8Gb, only the price of the extra 8Gb would be the issue and there is no way it should be more than $100.
If Apple charged more than that the PR blowback would be tremendous
$100 more than what the base costs now would be worth it and I think most would agree

 

[DrewHawk]

Installing it during assembly is just as cheap as installing 8Gb, only the price of the extra 8Gb would be the issue and there is no way it should be more than $100.
If Apple charged more than that the PR blowback would be tremendous
$100 more than what the base costs now would be worth it and I think most would agree

They do charge $200 for it now. There is no PR blowback. This is Apple, they can do anything and people will just keep buying them.

 

[macduke]

The M3 Pro performance being crappy makes more sense if you think about it within the context of the Mac mini.

What I’ve never been able to understand is who gets the Mac mini with 12 core M2 Pro and 32GB memory for $1999 instead of the Mac Studio with 12 core M2 Max and 32GB memory for $1999? The Mac Studio has a slightly faster CPU, double the GPU cores, bigger heat sink for sustained load, two more USB-C ports, 10x faster Ethernet, and an SD card slot for the same price.

If the Mac Studio base starts at $1999 with M3 Max and 36GB memory, that’s gonna be a heck of a deal comparatively. The M3 Max is so much faster compared to the Pro. For that reason I suspect a price bump is coming this year, probably $2399.