Apple's M3 family brings 3-nanometer chips to the Mac

Apple introduced three Mac processors tonight: M3, M3 Pro and M3 Max. Built with a 3-nanometer process, the family will first appear in updated MacBook Pro models and a refreshed 24-inch iMac.

A redesigned graphics architecture uses Dynamic Caching to assign local memory as tasks require it. The chips also add hardware-accelerated ray tracing and mesh shading, features aimed at games and professional graphics, while an upgraded Neural Engine handles machine-learning workloads.

Launching three tiers together gives buyers a clearer view of the performance range, from an everyday iMac to a notebook configured with substantial memory and graphics capacity. Apple's control of chips, computers and operating system lets it tune those pieces closely, but it also makes upgrades impossible after purchase. Independent testing will need to separate architectural gains from comparisons against older Intel machines. The practical promise is more demanding work within the battery and thermal limits of a laptop.