Apple intensifies testing of M3 Macs ahead of anticipated October debut

A recent report from Bloomberg sheds light on Apple's latest developments in the Mac lineup.

According to Mark Gurman's sources, Apple has initiated testing on a new Mac with the model identifier "Mac15,12," featuring the highly anticipated M3 chip – a likely candidate for a new version of the Mac mini.

The M3-based Mac reportedly boasts an impressive configuration. It features an 8-core processor, a 10-core graphics processor, and 24GB of RAM. The processor includes four high-performance cores and four performance cores. This configuration replicates the current version of the Mac mini M2, although the heart of it is the upcoming M3 chip.

Gurman suggests that this test configuration, equipped with the M3 chip and 24GB of RAM, may be indicative of the next-generation Mac mini.

Gurman's report highlights a minor performance boost in the M3 Pro variant. This variant is said to feature 12 CPU cores and 18 GPU cores, slightly surpassing the M2 Pro's configuration of a 10-core CPU and 16-core GPU.

Signs of upcoming M3 Macs have been spotted in third-party developer logs, pointing to various potential models:

• M3 13-inch MacBook Air (codenamed Mac 15,1 and J513/J613)
• M3 15-inch MacBook Air (codenamed Mac 15,2 and J515/J615)
• M3 13-inch MacBook Pro (codenamed Mac 15,3 and J504)
• M3 iMac (codenamed Mac 15,4, Mac 15,5, J433 and J434)
• M3 Pro and M3 Max 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pros (codenamed Mac 15,7, Mac 15,8, J514 and J516)
• Possible M3 Mac mini (codenamed Mac 15,12)

The M3 chip is projected to be manufactured using a cutting-edge 3nm fabrication process, which effectively shrinks the distance between transistors on the chip. This reduction in distance holds the promise of enhanced performance and efficiency.

Earlier reports from Bloomberg have indicated that Apple is gearing up to unveil its first M3-powered Macs in October.