Apple today announced major updates to its chips, its next-generation M3 chips, along with new M3-powered 24-inch iMacs. The new releases demonstrate Apple’s continued rapid pace of innovation as it transitions its Macs to its own custom silicon.
The M3 chips are Apple’s first built on the cutting-edge 3nm process node, packing even more transistors into a tight space for increased performance and power efficiency. The M3, M3 Pro, and M3 Max represent sizable upgrades over Apple’s previous M-series chips. No M3 Ultra has been announced as of yet.
The standard M3 chip offers an 8-core CPU with up to a 10-core GPU, delivering up to 35% faster CPU performance and up to 65% faster graphics versus the M1. The high-end M3 Max packs up to a 40-core GPU and 16-core CPU, providing up to 80% faster CPU performance and 50% faster graphics over the M1 Max.
The three chips feature upgrades in engine performance and memory support
All three new chips also feature upgraded neural engine performance, boosted unified memory support up to 128GB, and new capabilities like hardware-accelerated ray tracing and mesh shading for vastly improved graphics. Complementing the new M3 chips, Apple also unveiled M3-powered 24-inch iMacs. The new all-in-one desktops leverage the performance gains of the M3 to deliver up to 2x faster performance over previous M1 iMacs.
The new iMacs feature the same ultra-thin design in seven colors, along with a 24-inch 4.5K Retina display. With the M3’s advanced media engine, the new iMacs can handle creative workloads like editing high-resolution photos and multiple 4K video streams.
For customers upgrading from older Intel iMacs, Apple promises up to 4x faster performance over a 21.5-inch model and up to 2.5x over popular 27-inch configurations. The company is clearly aiming to convince remaining Intel users to make the switch to Apple silicon.
Both the M3 chips and new 24-inch iMacs demonstrate Apple’s relentless focus on bringing its custom silicon to more Macs and pushing the envelope on performance. The company is promising massive gains for both everyday users and creative professionals.
Apple is now taking orders for the new M3 iMacs, with availability starting November 7. The M3 chips will also power the newly announced MacBook Pros and Mac minis. With even more Macs transitioning to Apple silicon this fall, the company is firmly committed to completing its two-year transition away from Intel.
Featured Image Credit: Junior Teixeira; Pexels; Thank you!
