Kuo: 'M3 Series MacBook Pro' to Be Focus of Apple's October 30 Event

[HobeSoundDarryl]

Yeah thats right. This has been done many times but as the Air is their entry level computer wouldn’t it kind of screw up the lineup to raise the price again Of the air?

If M2 Air persists at existing price, Air is still offered at existing pricing… just not this hypothetical M3 one. Then, when they get to M4, drop the M3 to M2 pricing to keep a price target while making “latest” generate more profit.

 

[HobeSoundDarryl]

That's the issue, they are paid for this but are no where near 100% accurate. I will never forget when they stated no new iPad Mini 6th gen was going to be launched on the very same day Apple announced it.

Apple can still keep 'some' secrets it seems.

In the rumor business, odds of 100% accuracy must be near 0%. The game is to try to call the future before other prognosticators because calling it second+ makes you look “me too” instead of “first alert” source. But to be first, you have to go most out on a limb, forecasting from what might be the slightest scrap of information… very early in Apples own process… in which Apple could change direction, shift suppliers, re-spec prototypes, etc many times before settling in on something that will actually make it to market. There’s almost certainly PLENTY of wild goose and red herrings in being so early.

So, much like the meteorologists or stock pickers, good performance is trying to be right enough times to seem to have some kind of special ability. That will promote you from doing it for free to getting paid to do it. You can still be spectacularly wrong in some calls but the reputation of past rights- and getting paid for it- prop you up.

If 100% accuracy became the requirement, this is no longer a rumor site… but only official press releases by Apple. Part of the fun in rumors is the imagination they fuel… the crowd filling in the gaps around the scraps offered. What’s in this iMac again? By now we have everything from M2 update to M3 MAX with XDR 32”pro-motion screen, thunderbolt 5, new USB-C accessories, notch-island-no notch-no island, no chin, variety of new ports, “25th anniversary, so….”, etc. we also have multiple other Macs with multiple other features & benefits- including M3, M3 PRO, M3 MAX, and why not- even ULTRA too- perhaps being presented out of the trunk of the new Apple Car.

What will be scary? What do they mean by fast? Will presenters be in costume? Why an odd nighttime event? Why Halloween Eve? Speculation on scraps of rumors and now an actual event will run wild all week… before the 100% accuracy of reality is revealed and we see whatever it actually is… almost certainly NOT walk on water, raising the dead, water into wine, cure for cancer, world peace, (Star Trek) transporter/replicators/holodeck/warp drive, unlimited free energy, miraculous.

 

[jamessciacca]

Hoping they discontinue the 13" Pro with Touch Bar. That Mac shouldn't exist anymore. The 13/15" Air and the 14/16" Pro address all the possible use cases.

Also, where's the iMac, Kuo?

I agree and lower the price of the 14 and 16 base models!

 

[fathergll]

Yeah, it does actually. Because Apple prioritizes certain markets itself. Just because you are in one of the first markets it releases devices, you forget about it.

No I am talking about your comment "companies coming in and saying we will prioritize your market because Apple doesn’t care much for you."

Again no company is doing an marketing campaign because of a delay from a completely different brand. It doesn't even make sense as all companies do this to some extent. What is Dell going to run an add in Norway stating this? lol All companies delay products to certain markets.

 

[Kendo]

I might be missing something here but can anyone explain to me why the M2 is the ugly stepchild of the Mac family?

There isn't this much chatter going from any other processor (for example A15 to A16) so why is there so much hate when it comes to M1 > M2? Weren't the performance bumps pretty standard? I think around 18% CPU and 35% GPU? Isn't that in line with just about any other processor upgrade?

 

[qpid360]

I have until tomorrow to return my M2 Max. Debating if I should just do that and go without a laptop until the announcement. Again, the only reason I bought the M2 Max recently was because of how ‘certain’ all these analysts were about no MBPs launching until spring.

 

[fathergll]

I have until tomorrow to return my M2 Max. Debating if I should just do that and go without a laptop until the announcement. Again, the only reason I bought the M2 Max recently was because of how ‘certain’ all these analysts were about no MBPs launching until spring.

Just return it unless it's a critical work machine costing you money.

 

[bousozoku]

IMO Apple has no need to chase Snapdragon performance because most Apple buyers could care less. Long term of course, how well Apple competes in the chip wars matters. But Qualcomm's PR announcements do not make Apple need to chase Snapdragon.

Well, the fact is that Qualcomm bought Nuvia, which was created by people who left Apple's chip design team. Were they better than the people still at Apple?

 

[OrenLindsey]

I have until tomorrow to return my M2 Max. Debating if I should just do that and go without a laptop until the announcement. Again, the only reason I bought the M2 Max recently was because of how ‘certain’ all these analysts were about no MBPs launching until spring.

Unless you really need it right now, I would return it.

 

[Tagbert]

I’m wondering if the M3 Pro will be worth upgrading from an M1 Pro MBP 16”.

Are you currently running into performance issues with your MBP? Do you feel that tasks are slow or that some tasks take a long time? Then you might consider an M3 update. If not, then it is just a case of wanting something new and you are the only one who can decide in that case.

 

[Allen_Wentz]

I might be missing something here but can anyone explain to me why the M2 is the ugly stepchild of the Mac family?

There isn't this much chatter going from any other processor (for example A15 to A16) so why is there so much hate when it comes to M1 > M2? Weren't the performance bumps pretty standard? I think around 18% CPU and 35% GPU? Isn't that in line with just about any other processor upgrade?

Yup. M2 was a great upgrade. A significant solidification (no doubt lots of v1 code cleaned up) of the great job Apple did with the first, M1, generation. Plus things like WiFi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3 were also added with M2.

CPUs have been generally very strong for quite a while now, so raw 15%-20% performance benchmark upgrades are just fine. Architectural and code improvements, especially at the higher end above the lower end MBA level, are what are most interesting.

 

[Chuckeee]

I’m wondering if the M3 Pro will be worth upgrading from an M1 Pro MBP 16”.

Depends on what problems you are having with your M1 Pro MBP 16”?

I would suspect probably not.

 

[dgdosen]

I wonder if part of these M3-rollout-whiplash-rumors relates to ongoing geopolitical issues with Taiwan. Things are a bit calmer now, but over the past year the relationship between China and Taiwan was pretty sketchy. Maybe Apple dialed up more of buffer of chips from TSMC in the face of potential disruptions... And now, maybe Apple is less fearful of a disruption and more concerned about market reactions to slowed sales.

I'd imagine the group running a two trillion + company might ponder those kinds of issues.

 

[Coreymac84]

I have until tomorrow to return my M2 Max. Debating if I should just do that and go without a laptop until the announcement. Again, the only reason I bought the M2 Max recently was because of how ‘certain’ all these analysts were about no MBPs launching until spring.

If you have the ability to return it and have other devices, I would.

 

[Tagbert]

I might be missing something here but can anyone explain to me why the M2 is the ugly stepchild of the Mac family?

There isn't this much chatter going from any other processor (for example A15 to A16) so why is there so much hate when it comes to M1 > M2? Weren't the performance bumps pretty standard? I think around 18% CPU and 35% GPU? Isn't that in line with just about any other processor upgrade?

When the M1 came out and Macs were upgraded from Intel to Apple Silicon, the performance jump was huge. Some people assumed that each generation of Apple Silicon would provide that kind of massive performance bump. Speculation leading up to the M2 release was assuming a similar performance increase with folks talking about 30% or more. When the M2 came out with a 15-18% increase, those people were disappointed and decided that the M2 was a disappointing generation. Those expectations were never reasonable but it sets them up to feel underwhelmed.

 

[adb1973]

Something about Mac sales...
Hmmm I've got s great idea!

What about a bigger iMac!!!
What about processors that significantly dwarf competition?
What about less is more?

Someone already build the m2 mac mini internals into a 27" 2020 5K iMac?

 

[bumblebritches5]

iPad Pro - M3
iMac - M3
MacBook Pro - M3, M3 Pro, M3 Max

I’m thinking iPad will get CPU upgrades too.

 

[bumblebritches5]

At the same time the event time is strange. If Apple was going to make such an extraordinary announcment about M3 Pro/Max they wouldn’t do it so late in the evening. Here in Europe it will be at 1-2 a.m. when most people are asleep.

It’s 8PM Eastern, normally 1PM est, Apple wants eyes on this event.

 

[Tagbert]

I hope for Apple's sake the M3 Max is faster than the M2 Ultra.

In single-core performance the M3 will be faster.

In multi-core, probably not. The Ultra has twice the cores and the incremental performance bump from M2 to M3 isn't likely to be 101%.

 

[Tagbert]

I might be missing something here but can anyone explain to me why the M2 is the ugly stepchild of the Mac family?

There isn't this much chatter going from any other processor (for example A15 to A16) so why is there so much hate when it comes to M1 > M2? Weren't the performance bumps pretty standard? I think around 18% CPU and 35% GPU? Isn't that in line with just about any other processor upgrade?

It was the victim of unjustified and unrealistic expectations.

 

[LonestarOne]

Hoping they discontinue the 13" Pro with Touch Bar. That Mac shouldn't exist anymore. The 13/15" Air and the 14/16" Pro address all the possible use cases.

Again with the Touch Bar rage? What did the Touch Bar ever do to you?

No one’s forcing you to buy a machine with a Touch Bar. If other people find it useful, why should that bother you?

 

[sideshowuniqueuser]

Yep, the technology is supposed to trickle down to the more affordable machines, not trickle up, The Pro machines should be the cutting-edge aspirational machines that professionals want and need as technology advances. Then after you can get better yields, and work out kinks and issues that can make it more scaleable and easier to produce, it is brought to the masses as a more refined product at a more affordable price point.
Right now it's backward, starting with a base model and trying to scale it up to a Mac Pro that by the time it gets there, it is so far behind technologically that no sane person would ever consider buying one.

Yep. Although, comparing with the iPhone releases, both the base and Pro models are released at once, so I'd imagine that would be the ideal goal for Apple, to have M3, M3 Pro, M3 Max... etc all come out at once.

 

[sideshowuniqueuser]

Well in the end we all speculate.
It just doesn’t really make sense to release MBP M3 so soon.

Either way, it’s a guessing game - and we like to play the guessing slots.

If someone claims they know (from these forums) they’re re just kidding themselves.

Yeah it does make sense. The M chips are in reality nothing more than beefed up A chips. Annual releases are the natural cycle. You're just not used to annual Mac updates because Apple was beholden to Intel. Apple have also recently been hamstrung by supply constraints, and also no doubt been overloaded with all the new design work in moving to Apple Silicon. Sooner or later that will iron out, and I presume annual M chip and Mac updates will become as normal as annual A chip and iPhone updates.

 

[ksj1]

Hmm, this is actually a credible take, and I"m surprised that it has taken 24 hours for someone to suggest it. You could be on to something!

Thanks. Headlines seem to agree...

 

[mr_jomo]

I wonder now much the price will increase this time around for the base 14 and 16" MBP. The January 2023 refreshes both got an €125 uptick over here ... maybe another €100 bump?