As Apple continues to await sufficient supplies of the M3 series chips, expected to be manufactured by Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC) in the coming months, it may need to turn to the M2 series for some upcoming products. Apple’s dependence on TSMC for these new chips is well-known and, as a result, some analysts predict Apple may not have enough M3 series chips to release products until much later this year, at the earliest.
According to a recent report by Ming-Chi Kuo, a well-known analyst with connections to Apple’s supply chain, TSMC likely won’t start production of the M3 series chip until shortly before the M3 Pro and M3 Max models are released. This delay could mean Apple may opt to release some devices with the M2 series chip this year while it waits for sufficient supplies of the M3.
The M3 series is expected to be a significant milestone for Apple in terms of computing power and efficiency, as it will be the first to utilize a 3-nanometer process. The M2 series, by comparison, uses a 5-nanometer process (called N5P at TSMC). TSMC will need time to establish the new manufacturing process for the M3 series, and as the first major customer for this process, Apple will also be waiting for production of its upcoming A17 iPhone chip.
Apple was relatively slow in introducing the M2. The fully revised MacBook Air M2 was presented in the summer of 2022, with other computers in the M2 series following in January 2023. The new Mac Pro, which will be based on an M2 Ultra chip, is still forthcoming.
The delays in the availability of the M3 chips mean that Apple may release more products with the M2 series this year. The 15.5-inch MacBook Air, which is rumored to have been in development for some time, may still be released with the M2 chip. Kuo predicts that there could be two M2 configurations for the larger Air, with different core numbers. However, it seems unlikely that the MacBook Air will be equipped with the M2 Pro.
It is not clear when the first MacBook with an M3 chip will appear, as it depends on when TSMC starts production in the second half of this year. Apple may opt to wait until spring 2024 to release the first MacBook Pro models with the M3 Pro and M3 Max. If production of the M3 chip only starts shortly before the M3 Pro and M3 Max models are ready, it could take even longer before the first MacBook Air M3 and MacBook Pro 13 M3 with Touch Bar are available.
