While new Macs that are expected to debut at WWDC23 in June will be powered by an upgraded M2 processor,  Mac fans are really looking forward to Apple's next Macs being powered by the 3nm M3 processor. To scratch that itch, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman has released this newsletter with his latest rumors.

According to Gurman, Apple "has begun putting next-generation Macs with the M3 chips through their paces, testing them with third-party apps to ensure compatibility with its software ecosystem.

So what will the M3 look like? Well, at least one version in testing has 12 CPU cores, 18 graphics cores and 36 gigabytes of memory. That’s according to data collected by an App Store developer and shared with Power On. The CPU, the chip’s main processor, is made up of six high-performance cores that handle the most intensive tasks and six efficiency cores that kick in for operations that need less power.

The chip itself in this particular test is running in a future high-end MacBook Pro with the upcoming macOS 14.0 and likely is the base-level version of what will be the M3 Pro coming next year.

If the chip in testing is indeed the base-level M3 Pro, that would mean the increase in core counts compared with the M2 Pro would be similar to the jump from the M1 Pro to the M2 Pro. It would have two more power-efficient CPU cores and two more graphics cores. In this case, the amount of memory is also jumping by 4GB on the top-end configuration.

Gurman's thinks that the first Macs with M3 chips will begin arriving toward the end of the year or early next year. While the first 15-inch MacBook Air with an M2 chip is set to arrive this summer. If this rumor is of interest, then read more about it here.

Qualcomm's coming Oryon processor will begin rolling out in devices in 2024, with prototypes debuting at CES2024. This is the processor that the PC sector is hoping will match or beat anything Apple releases in 2024.

Whether Apple is waiting to learn more about these processors prior to releasing M3 Macs is unknown at this time. Between Qualcomm and Apple's next-gen chips, 2024 is likely the year that will excite consumers to upgrade their PC's in larger numbers.