There’s no doubt that Apple is working hard on its latest next-gen silicon, the Apple M3 chip, but if new reports are correct, it could be much more advanced than we thought.
It has long been speculated that Apple would adopt TSMC’s 3nm process for its M3 series of chips, but Apple has skipped this iteration entirely, opting for a more advanced 3nm process at its Taiwanese chip foundry. It seems to adopt N3E of TSMC.
China Times report (opens in new tab) via Wccftech (opens in new tab) indicates that Apple is the first customer to use this process node, using it for both the M3 chip expected to power the upcoming MacBook Air and iPad Pro.
It’s also likely using an advanced 3nm node for its A17 Bionic chip.
What Advanced 3nm Process Means for MacBook Air It was originally thought that the Apple M2 chip, announced in 2022, would be fab on a 3nm process, but it turns out that’s not the case. Whether it’s due to lingering issues with Covid and the supply chain is unclear, but Apple used 5nm for both its M1 and M2 chips, but didn’t get the performance boost we were hoping for from the M2. There is no doubt that
The M2 chip is certainly impressive, but the performance boost over the M1 chip was a fairly standard generational refresh. However, the jump to 3nm is much more significant and actually provides a compelling reason to jump from the M1 MacBook Air to the M3 MacBook Air.
Personally, I think the MacBook Air (M1) is still the best laptop for most users thanks to its incredible performance, great battery life, and even better price. So the MacBook Air (M2) price hike is hard to justify.
This could change a lot with the move to TSMC’s N3E, which should see a 30%+ performance improvement and even better battery life. Given the poor sales of the M2 Mac lineup over the past year, Apple needs to give people a better reason to switch than a bland redesign or flashy marketing.
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