Report: Apple hasn’t yet started widespread ‘M3 Ultra’ testing

Last week, Apple unveiled the first three members of the M3 family of chips: the M3, M3 Pro, and M3 Max. A new report from Bloomberg today shares some details on what’s next for the M3 family, including the fate of the top-of-the-line M3 Ultra processor.

In the latest edition of his Power On newsletter, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman writes that Apple started the M3 transition with the MacBook Pro and iMac because they are lower-volume products. “There is only a finite amount of 3-nanometer processors available, with much of the supply going toward the iPhone,” Gurman explained.

The Mac Studio and Mac Pro are even lower-volume than the iMac and MacBook Pro, but those machines will be available with the M3 Ultra chip. Apple hasn’t yet announced the M3 Ultra, and Gurman says today that it “hasn’t yet gone into broad testing.”

That leaves us where we’re at today:

• 13-inch and 15-inch MacBook Air: M2
• Mac mini: M2 and M2 Pro
• Mac Studio: M2 Max and M2 Ultra
• 14-inch MacBook Pro: M3, M3 Pro, and M3 Max
• 16-inch MacBook Pro: M3 Pro and M3 Max
• 24-inch iMac: M3

Gurman says that updates to the 13-inch and 15-inch MacBook Airs and a new Mac mini are in the works and expected sometime in 2024. A new Mac Studio is “also in development,” but there’s no mention of a new Mac Pro in today’s report.

What are your early thoughts on the M3 family of chips and Macs? Are you planning to upgrade this cycle? Let us know down in the comments.