News on Apple developments has been quiet since January 2023, and then like buses, at least three come along at the same time. This article brings you up to speed on the latest Apple news relevant to the professional audio sector.

Brief Summary

In the first quarter of this year, Apple’s sales went down than other PC sales. A new 15-inch MacBook Air is rumoured to be coming up in April or May, and the new Apple display with ProMotion appears to have gone down the pan. There is no news on when the new Apple Silicon Mac Pro will be released, and good news that new Mac Studio computers are in the pipeline.

Going Deeper

For those with some more time and who want to go deeper, we unpack each of these ups and downs, starting with the drop in Apple sales.

Down - Apple Sales

With the sales of personal computers being announced for the first quarter of 2023, according to IDC and their personal computer device tracker, global sales of PCs have dropped by 29%. Apple was in 4th place despite the release of the M2 MacBook Pro laptops in January. Their sales went down from 6.9 million units in the first quarter of 2022 to 4.1 million in the same quarter in 2023, a 40.5% drop.

HP suffered the least drop in percentage terms managing to ship 12 million devices, which is a 24.2% drop.

Next comes Lenovo, which is the market leader in terms of the number of units, shipping 12.7 million devices in Q1 2023, compared to 18.3 million in Q1 2022, which is a 30.3% drop.

Dell was third with a 31% decline, having shipped 9.5 million PCs compared to 13.7 million the year before.

All in all, no brand did well. They all lost sales, and IDC blames the drop in sales on "weak demand, excess inventory, and a worsening macroeconomic climate" as a result of "at least a temporary return to pre-COVID patterns."

Essentially everyone dropped sales in the first quarter compared to last year, largely due to the COVID bubble finally bursting, but it hit Apple‘s sales the worst, even with new products released early in the quarter.

In his latest Power On newsletter, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman reports that Apple’s sales are not likely to pick up anytime soon. Regarding Apple’s upcoming earnings announcement on May 4th 2023, he said…

“The company has warned investors to keep expectations in check for its fiscal second quarter, which runs through the end of March. Apple has said that it anticipates a sales decline roughly equivalent to the December period, when revenue dropped about 5%. The iPad and Mac are expected to see especially steep declines, while the iPhone may improve somewhat — helped by the resolution of supply chain snags.”

It’s not over yet.

Up - Apple Expected To Release New 15-inch MacBook Air Soon

In our article What We Can Expect From Apple in 2023 And Beyond, we reported on the expected release of a new larger MacBook Air, with a 15-inch display potentially powered by the next generation of their Apple Silicon System on a Chip (SoC).

Even though Apple only updated the MacBook Air with a new design and an M2 SoC in June 2022, there has been a lot of talk about new MacBook Air models being released during 2023.

Just a couple weeks after Apple announced the first M2-powered Mac computers, including the MacBook Air, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman reported on the next generation of the MacBook Air laptop.

“Apple is also already at work on the M2’s successor, the M3, and the company is planning to use that chip as early as next year with updates to the 13-inch MacBook Air code-named J513, a 15-inch MacBook Air known as J515, a new iMac code-named J433 and possibly a 12-inch laptop that’s still in early development.”

Mark did not commit to a time frame for these machines to come to market. However, the Taiwanese publication DigiTimes suggested that we would see a new MacBook Air with an M3 SoC in the second half of this year…

"The supply chain is more focused on the more affordable MacBook Air, which is expected to be updated in the second half of 2023 and may be equipped with a 3nm processor."

Mark Gurman referred not only to a 13-inch MacBook Air but also to a 15-inch MacBook Air too. This would be the largest ‌MacBook Air‌ to date and, in terms of size, would sit between the 14 and 16-inch MacBook Pro models.

It is reported that the 15-inch ‌MacBook Air‌ is expected to have the same basic design as the 2022 13-inch ‌MacBook Air‌ with flat edges, a Force Touch trackpad, a MagSafe charging port, an upgraded speaker system, and a 1080p camera.

This was reinforced by a report in February 2023 from Ross Young, CEO of Display Supply Chain Consultants, whose information is pretty accurate because he bases his reports on what is actually happening in the manufacturing supply chain. In a tweet to his subscribers, he said the 15.5-inch MacBook Air could be announced as soon as Spring 2023.

According to Ross Young’s sources, the 15.5” display panels destined for the new MacBook Air had just entered production in late February 2023. Based on the production schedules for previous Apple laptops, it suggested a release in early April 2023.

Then on April 10th, 2023, Ross Young updated this information in a tweet shared with subscribers. With the production of the key components already underway, although he doesn't know the "precise launch timing", he believes that it could be in "late April/early May." Most importantly, this points to Apple announcing the new MacBook Air before WWDC 2023 on June 5th, 2023.

Then on Friday, 14th April 2023, Bloomberg reported…

“Apple is ramping up testing of fresh Macs with processors on par with the current M2 chip, making headway on key new machines that could help reverse a sales decline. The Mac maker has begun testing the new machines with third-party apps from the App Store to validate their compatibility, according to developer logs shared with Bloomberg News. That’s a necessary step in the run-up to the launch of a new device.”

Bloomberg has also reported that these logs show that the machine being tested has an 8-core CPU and 10-core GPU, just like the basic M2 chip, with 8GB of unified memory. The laptop has the model identifier "Mac 15,3" and is shown as running macOS 14, which is the next version of the macOS, expected to be announced at WWDC on June 5th 2023. The logs also show that the 15-inch MacBook Air screen has the same resolution as the M2 Pro/Max 14-inch MacBook Pro and explains this by saying it “would run the same resolution but with slightly less sharpness.”

There has been some debate as to whether the 15.5” MacBook Air will come with M2 or M3 SoCs. Some think that an April/May release will be too early to have M3 chips, and others suggest that the release may be delayed until later so as to have M3 chips. With this latest report, Bloomberg says that these developer logs show that the M3 chip is "coming later", suggesting that the initial 15-inch model will be powered by the M2 chip, like the 13-inch model. Mark Gurman said in hiss April 16th 2023 edition of his Power On newsletter…

“At least some of the new laptops will be announced at WWDC, I’ve been told. But there’s a big caveat: The models coming in June probably won’t boast major new M3 chips. Instead, they’ll run something in line with the current M2 processors”

9to5 Mac has reported…

“Apple is expected to use a new 3 nm fabrication process for at least some of the M3 chip variants. This will lead to a notable improvement in performance and efficiency. It’s possible, however, that 3nm tech may not be used in every version of the M3. Apple could, for instance, bifurcate the M3 lineup by using a 5 nm process for the M3 and a 3 nm process for the M3 Pro, M3 Max, and M3 Ultra.

Update: 20th April 2023

As if to back up Bloomberg’s reports, on April 20th 2023, respected Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo tweeted a prediction update and revision from a tweet he posted on June 15th 2022, which itself was an update for a tweet posted on March 24th 2022..

In June 2022, he said, “New 15" MacBook would go to mass production in mid-1H23, and launch date may be 2Q23 or later.” In 2023 he updated this to “The new 15" MacBook model should be named MacBook Air.”.

Back in June 2022, he said, “New 15" MacBook may offer two CPU options, M2 (with 35W adapter) & M2 Pro (with 67W adapter).” In 2023 he updated this to “ To reiterate, the upcoming 15" MacBook Air will feature the M2 series and offer two processor spec options. However, two options are more likely to be M2 with different cores (similar to the M2 13" MacBook Air).”

In addition, in his April 2023 tweet, Ming-Chi Kuo said this…

“Mass production of M3 chip is anticipated to begin in 2H23, slightly ahead of M3 Pro and M3 Max.

The shipment estimation for the 15" MacBook Air in 2023 is 5-6 million units. The peak shipments for EMS and components are expected during late 3Q23 and early Q3 2023, respectively.”

This tweet would appear to confirm that the 15-inch MacBook Air, due to be announced before the WWDC keynote on June 5th 2023, will contain conventional M2 SoCs and not the hoped-for M3 chips. However, Kuo seems to be suggesting that the M3-powered Macs are months away from being released, although Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman expects them to be announced at this year’s WWDC keynote.

Down - Apple 27-inch MiniLED Display With ProMotion “Killed Off”

In our article, What We Can Expect From Apple in 2023 And Beyond, we also reported on the expected release of an Apple 27-inch MiniLED Display With ProMotion sometime between June and September 2023.

Back in early 2022, Ross Young, CEO of Display Supply Chain Consultants, had expected Apple to announce a new 27-inch display using mini-LED backlight technology as far back as WWDC in June 2022. However, in May 2022, he revised his prediction for the display’s release to October 2022 because of design delays. It then turned out Apple could not meet the October target either, and the release date was revised to the first quarter of 2023. However, in late February 2023, Ross reported that he has not seen any indications of the display being manufactured, which meant that the display wasn’t going to be released in the first half of 2023.

Now in another tweet shared with paying subscribers on April 10th 2023, Ross Young reported that Apple has "killed off" the display "for now". However, Ross didn’t share a reason as to why Apple had "killed off" the display despite shipping some panels for the monitor last year.

Regarding the design, Ross said the new display will feature ProMotion technology for refresh rates up to 120Hz. He does not expect it to be a direct replacement for the Pro Display XDR, which offers a considerably larger 6K display at a $4,999 price point. Instead, he understands that it is likely to be closer to the Apple Studio display but with the addition of mini-LED and ProMotion technology.

Then on April 11th 2023, well-respected source Ming-Chi Kuo, an analyst at TF International Securities, who shares observations and predictions of tech industry trends, tweeted this...

Update on the rumored new 27" Apple display predictions:

1. It's slated for mass production in 2024 or early 2025, boasting all the features one would expect from a high-end monitor.

2. Utilizing mini-LED technology, and the most notable design change is to switch the material of the mini-LED backplane from the PCB found in current Apple products to glass.

3. The benefits of adopting a glass backplane include a thinner panel thickness, a narrower bezel, an extended product lifespan, etc.

It would appear that Ross Young’s phrase "for now" was overlooked in a lot of the reports of the display’s demise. It would appear from Ming-Chi Kuo’s tweet that the screen has not been killed off but is delayed again until late 2024 or early 2025.

Down - No News On The Apple Silicon Mac Pro

We have not seen any updates on the progress of an Apple Silicon Mac Pro recently.

We know that the Apple Silicon-powered replacement will not be very expandable. Because of the System on a Chip (SoC) architecture, any Apple Silicon-powered computer cannot have user-expandable memory or graphics cards, leaving just storage expansion with the 2 SSD slots.

The other benefit being suggested for going with a Mac Pro is the improved cooling, meaning if you do push the SoC to its limits, it will be able to perform better for longer, as the improved cooling will keep the key components cooler, and so continue to work at maximum performance.

We also know that the 2023 Mac Pro will have the same design as the 2019 model and will have the same PCIe slots, which should please anyone needing to use dedicated DSP processing like Avid’s HDX or UAD’s cards.

However, Apple canned the M2 Extreme SoC, which was to be two M2 Ultra chips put together, giving the equivalent power of four M2 Max SoCs. A single M2 Ultra SoC will limit the maximum amount of unified memory to 192GB instead of 384GB, which could have come with the now cancelled M2 Extreme SoC.

As to when we can expect the Apple Silicon-powered 2023 Mac Pro to be released, there were suggestions that it could be released once macOS13.3 was released, but that has come and gone and no Apple Silicon Mac Pro.

Then it was suggested it would be announced in the keynote at WWDC, but according to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, who is a very reliable source when it comes to all things Apple, has not included it in his list of things he expects Apple to announce on the first day of WWDC 2023 in his latest Power On newsletter.

Updated April 20th 2023

With Ming-Chi Kuo’s latest tweet on April 2023, the consensus seems to be pointing towards the M2 Ultra-equipped Mac Pro being announced and released before the release of the first M3-equipped Mac towards the end of 2023. So although Mark Gurman doesn’t believe that the Apple Silicon Mac Pro will be announced at WWDC 2023, it would be sensible to suggest that the M2 Ultra Mac Pro will be announced before the first M3 Macs start to appear.

Up - New Mac Studio Models In The Pipeline

However, in his latest Power On newsletter, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman does have this to say about upcoming Mac releases over the next 12 months or so…

“Apple has several new models in the works: a 15-inch MacBook Air, an updated 13-inch MacBook Air, an entry-level 13-inch MacBook Pro, a refreshed 24-inch iMac, the first Mac Pro with in-house chips and updated high-end MacBook Pro models. All of these should go on sale either this year or in early 2024.”

Then he adds this…

“There are also two Mac Studio follow-ups planned, but their timing is less clear.”

This appears to be a change from what we knew previously. When Apple cancelled the M2 Extreme chip and changed to the Mac Pro to only having an M2 Ultra SoC, it was understood that they would not be developing the Mac Studio anymore as they wanted the Mac Pro to be the most powerful Mac. So this news that Apple is planning not one but two new Mac Studio models is great news for us in the Pro audio sector as the Mac Studio has become our sweet spot in the Apple Mac range.

A Word About This Article

As the Experts team considered how we could better help the community, we thought that some of you are time-poor and don’t have the time to read a long article or watch a long video. In 2023 we will be trying out articles with a fast takeaway right at the start and then an opportunity to go deeper if you wish. Let us know if you like this idea in the comments.