canukstorm

Marvin said:

AppleInsider said:

The report states that the M3 Max will have a 16-core CPU and up to 40 GPU cores. The 16-core CPU breaks down to 12 high-performance cores and 4 efficiency cores.

That's a step up from the 10-core CPU and up to 38-core GPU in the current M2 Max.

M1 Max was 10-core (8 performance, 2 efficiency), M2 Max has 12-core CPU (8 performance, 4 efficiency), 38-core GPU:

https://www.apple.com/shop/buy-mac/macbook-pro/16-inch-space-gray-apple-m2-max-with-12-core-cpu-and-38-core-gpu-1tb

I reckon M3 Max won't top out at 40-core GPU as that's very little improvement over the current 38-core. I think that would be the equivalent of the M2 Max with 30-core GPU:

https://www.apple.com/shop/buy-mac/macbook-pro/16-inch-space-gray-apple-m2-pro-with-12-core-cpu-and-19-core-gpu-1tb

M3 Max would more likely have 2 options: 16-core CPU, 40-core GPU, 16-core CPU, 50-core GPU ($200 upgrade).

This would be 50% more CPU performance cores and 30% more GPU cores, combined with 15% performance gain from N3 so 70% CPU boost, 50% GPU boost over M2. All while consuming less power. This should be a decent upgrade but I definitely don't expect Pro models before March 2024 (January at the earliest) so if people need a Pro M-series upgrade, M2 Pro/Max would be worth getting now. Entry level (Air) would be best to wait for M3 in October.

chutzpah said:

anonymouse said:

hammeroftruth said:

eightzero said:

And there is nothing cheap anywhere in the Apple product line. Different prices, different capabilities...none of it "cheap."

I wouldn’t go as far as saying that. 

Apple has gone cheap(er):

iPhone SE 
Non Pro iPhones 
iPad
Entry level MacBooks 
Entry level iMacs 

I would go as far to guess that Apple does have a cheaper version that will ship mid year 2024.

I think this was a giant consumer feedback session from developers and the public. 

I doubt Apple has even started manufacturing them. I would hope that we start to see pics of parts of the cheaper model now that we know what it is and what it will look like. 

The difference is that none of the items you mention compromise the experience of using an iPhone, iPad, Mac, ... in fundamental ways, while this cheaper VP that Gurman has pulled out of thin air would absolutely do so.

Depends on what they cheap out on.  A plastic enclosure would be cheaper than an aluminium one, but would probably not compromise the experience much, hell it'd make the thing lighter so might improve it.  Ditching the earpieces so people can use their own AirPods would probably be experience neutral as well, providing users actually had the AirPods.