Here’s an analyst’s update on the status of M2, M3 processors

Earlier today it was reported that the rumored 15-inch MacBook Air will sport an M2 chip, not the M3 processor that Apple originally planned. Now analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has weighed in on the status of the M2 and M3 processors.

In a tweet today, he affirms the report that the MacBook Air revamp won’t sport an M3 processor.

From his tweet: The upcoming 15″ MacBook Air will feature the M2 series and offer two processor spec options. However, two options are more likely to be M2 with different cores (similar to the M2 13″ MacBook Air) … The shipment estimation for the 15″ MacBook Air in 2023 is 5-6 million units. The peak shipments for EMS and components are expected during late 3Q23 and early Q3 2023, respectively.

As for the M3 processor, Kuo expects it to enter mass production in the second half of the year, followed by the M3 Pro and M3 Max. The long-over-due-for-an-update 24-inch iMac is expected to pack an M3 chip, so, hopefully, it will arrive this fall.

The M3 chip is expected to be manufactured based on Apple partner TSMC’s latest 3nm process, compared to 5nm for the M2 chip. As a 3nm chip, the M3 should offer significant performance and power efficiency improvements