Let's face it, Apple is never getting rid of the ridiculous 13-inch MacBook Pro

Reports are that it will get an M3 upgrade. Why?

- ROMAN LOYOLA

At the end of June, I said that we probably wouldn't be getting any new Macs (fave..co/3rDTUVU) for the rest of the year, based on reports that Apple's chips cycle had been affected by production issues. However, new reports indicate that Apple could be releasing new Macs this fall.

According to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, Apple may release new Macs this October (see page 7) that feature the M3 chip. Either Apple and TSMC (the chip manufacturer) have been able to address the production issues, or the reports of a delay (fave.co/441BDXK) were exaggerated. In any case, Gurman reports that the first Macs to get the M3 are the iMac, the 13-inch MacBook Air... and the 13-inch MacBook Pro.

The 13-inch MacBook Pro! It's the misfit of Apple's Mac lineup, but if there's any doubt that Apple is truly behind this MacBook model, that doubt can be laid to rest should an M3 update see the light of day. Even so, I still can't understand why. For its price and what you get, there are better MacBooks in Apple's lineup.

THE MACBOOK AIR IS A BETTER BUY

The M3 update will not be your typical Mac update. The M3 will be made using the 3-nanometer manufacturing process, which allows for a higher transistor density in the chip compared to the enhanced 5nm M2 and the standard 5nm M1. That could produce a performance increase that's more than the usual 20 to 25 percent from generation to generation. The M3 may also be more power efficient, which means longer battery life for MacBooks. Learn all about the potential of the M3 (see page 9).