The Asahi Linux project development team has long been working on bringing Linux to Apple Silicon MacBooks and desktops, going so far as to show off games on the Arm-powered laptops. The latest patches to Asahi add proper support for USB4 and Thunderbolt on MacBooks with the M1, M2, and M3 SoCs, and that support is now making its way to the mainline Linux kernel, as per an upstream patch by prominent Asahi developer, Sven Peter.

This series adds initial USB4/Thunderbolt support for Apple Silicon M1, M2 and M3 SoCs. Each USB4 capable Type-C port comes with an ACIO ("Apple Converged I/O") block which contains a Cortex-M3 coprocessor and the hardware implementing the USB4 router.

Apple has officially discontinued its high-end Mac Pro desktop computer, with no plans to refresh the model in the future. According to the company, which confirmed the decision to 9to5Mac, Apple had been selling the Mac Pro alongside other Mac options that were more aligned with its strategic goals. Initially launched with a redesigned casing in 2019, the Mac Pro was powered by Intel processors until Apple decided to switch to its M2 Ultra SoC in 2023. However, this model has gone a long time without any hardware updates. Apple even introduced an M3 Ultra chip last year but decided to pair it with the Mac Studio instead. The Mac Studio is a smaller, more compact machine that offers greater performance than the Mac Pro while being more practical for various work environments. Multiple Mac Studios can also be interconnected with Thunderbolt 5, making them a potential compute cluster.

For now, Apple will maintain the Mac Studio as its "pro" Mac option, with a refresh expected either this year or next. The current top configuration of the Mac Studio includes an M3 Ultra chip with a 32-core CPU and an 80-core GPU. This powerful setup is paired with up to 256 GB of memory and up to 16 TB of SSD storage. With the introduction of this model without updating the Mac Pro, it was clear that the Mac Pro's days were numbered. Surprisingly, Apple's future desktop computer strategy will focus on the Mac Mini and Mac Studio, complementing its extensive lineup of MacBooks, which includes the Pro, Air, and the newly launched Neo. As one of the largest Apple computer lineups ever, simplifying and removing some products makes sense for a company that is focused on custom silicon.

IBM (NYSE: IBM) today unveiled the next generation of IBM FlashSystem, co-run by agentic AI, ushering in a new era of autonomous storage. By enhancing FlashSystem's existing AI capabilities with agentic AI, IBM is redefining resilience through sustained protection, autonomous threat analysis, and customized recovery recommendations. Clients can now turn storage into an always-on layer of intelligence, enabling reliable and secure storage operations that can reduce the manual effort of storage management by up to 90%.

The new portfolio includes:

• Three new systems - the IBM FlashSystem 5600, 7600, and 9600 - which deliver up to 40% greater data efficiency for improved capacity footprint and performance, compared to the previous generation.
• FlashSystem.ai, a new set of intelligent data services that help administrators manage, monitor, diagnose, and remediate issues across the entire data path.
• The new fifth-generation FlashCore Module all-flash drive, which is engineered to provide hardware-accelerated real-time ransomware detection, data reduction, analytics and operations, with advanced telemetry and consistently low latency at scale.

QNAP Systems, Inc., a leading computing, networking, and storage solutions innovator, has released the new edge AI accelerators QAI-M100 and QAI-U100 for QNAP NAS. With plug-and-play installation and flexible configuration, these accelerators provide small-and-medium-sized businesses and individual users with an affordable solution to enhance AI applications such as facial recognition and object recognition on NAS.

"With the rapid growth of edge AI, the demand for real-time data processing and analysis at the edge has increased," said Andy Chung, Product Manager of QNAP, adding "The combination of QNAP NAS and the QAI edge AI accelerators not only provides a high-performance storage platform but also significantly boosts the computing efficiency of AI applications, improving overall cost-effectiveness."

Apple is preparing to release a major update for its Vision Pro headset before the end of the year. Inside, the current M2 chip will be replaced by the newer M4 SoC, built on a 3 nm process from TSMC. That extra shrink brings noticeably better CPU and GPU performance and a more capable neural engine, so you'll see smoother AI-powered features right on the headset. Apple hasn't stopped there, listening to early adopters and revamping the headband with softer padding and better balance to shift weight away from your face. At roughly 600 to 650 grams, the Vision Pro can feel heavy after only a few minutes, and this change should make longer sessions feel much more comfortable.

Behind the scenes, Apple is also working on a wired model called N107 for users who need rock-solid, low-latency connections to a Mac. Consider surgical training or complex CAD design, where even the slightest delay is unacceptable. If you're looking for something lighter and more affordable, Apple has that covered as well. A completely new Vision Pro, under the code name N100, is slated for 2027. By using slimmer lenses and lighter materials, it should shed several hundred grams without skimping on screen clarity or battery life. We expect to hear more about it as the Vision Pro 2 launch gets closer.

PC hardware media outlets have uncovered a not yet officially announced Kingston Fury Renegade G5 SSD product family. Promotional images and fairly detailed specifications were reportedly sourced directly from the North American manufacturer's main web presence. Three next-gen PCIe 5.0 SSD options were highlighted; likely coming soon—in quick response to Samsung's recently launched 9100 PRO Series. The South Korean megacorp's cutting-edge proprietary Presto
S4LY027-controlled offerings are considered to be the world's fastest SSDs, but this elite level of performance has arrived with substantial price tags. At several points, W1zzard's evaluation of the $300 Samsung 9100 Pro 2 TB model touched upon cost-performance considerations. Kingston's forthcoming Fury Renegade G5 4 TB, 2 TB, and 1 TB SSD NVMe M.2 2280 SKUs possess the potential to match main rivals—according to a leaked spec chart, the flagship boasts up to 14,800 MB/s read and 14,000 MB/s write speeds.

The apparent selection of Silicon Motion's SM2508 controller is a key point of interest—this "superior performance" low-power PCIe Gen 5 x4 NVMe 2.0 SSD solution was announced late last summer. September preview material painted a promising picture, in terms of promised power efficiency. By late December, a Chinese manufacturer demonstrated 14.5 GB/s sequential reads enabled by Silicon Motion's flagship controller. At CES 2025, TechPowerUp staffers documented a handful of previewed SM2508-controlled commercial products. Returning to the present day, Kingston's inadvertent self-leak did not reveal Fury Renegade G5's eventual launch window or price brackets—these facts are expected to arrive online with a possible imminent issuing of official press material.

Silicon Motion Technology Corporation, a global leader in NAND flash controllers for solid-state storage devices, today announced its participation in Embedded World 2025, taking place from March 11-13, 2025, in Nuremberg, Germany.

At the event, Silicon Motion will showcase its latest storage and display interface solutions, including PCIe NVMe Gen 4/5 SSD controllers, Ferri embedded storage solutions, and advanced display interface SoCs. These cutting-edge innovations are designed to maximize performance per watt, extend device longevity and power for the next generation of AI-driven industrial, embedded, automotive, and data center applications.

Team Group Inc. announced today that it will participate in Embedded World 2025, a premier global event for embedded technology. The company will unveil its latest industrial-grade solutions, spanning three key product lines designed to meet the evolving demands of AI, high-performance computing, and data security. These innovations demonstrate Team Group's commitment to advancing efficiency and stability in industrial applications while laying a solid foundation for future technological progress.

Highlighting its leadership in embedded applications and groundbreaking technology, Team Group's D500R WORM Memory Card has been recognized with the prestigious Embedded Award. Join Team Group from March 11-13, 2025, at NürnbergMesse Convention Center in Nuremberg, Germany (Hall 5 / 5-239) to explore the latest breakthroughs and optimal solutions in industrial solutions.

The $3,499 Apple Vision Pro AR/VR headset is certainly not the kind of device that Apple expects to be mass-adopted. Since its launch in 2023, the luxurious gadget is yet to witness a single hardware refresh. The gadget's aging M2 SoC paired with 16 GB of memory is almost three years old, but despite that, respected analyst Mark Gurman expects the device to soon sport Apple Intelligence features alongside the upcoming VisionOS 2.4 update that is scheduled for April. Considering that a hardware update is not expected to hit the scene for at least the rest of the year, a major software update is welcome news for the select few of us who have invested in the product.

The fact that the Vision Pro will support Apple Intelligence features is actually not much of a shocker, since Macs as old as the M1-generation also boast support for Apple's AI features. As such, the Vision Pro will soon receive support for Apple's writing tools with ChatGPT-integration, genmoji, image playground, as well as a bunch of other features with debatable efficacy. Moreover, the report also adds that the device will also get a new app for spatial experiences - which was undoubtedly one of the key selling points of the device. A 'revamped' guest mode is also on the cards, which will allow buyers to share the device with their family and friends - a factor that Apple considers important in order to drive sales. That said, the Vision Pro had abysmal sales to begin with, which indicates that a lower-end variant with a reasonable price tag might be the only way to make even the most ardent of Apple disciples to hop on the VR/AR hype train.

HighPoint has unveiled the industry's first 16x M.2 Ports NVMe RAID AIC; the SSD7749M2. Featuring an unprecedented 16 independent M.2 device channels, and armed with HighPoint's proven PCIe Gen 4 Switch Architecture and NVMe cooling technology, SSD7749M2 RAID AICs are capable of delivering 28 GB/s of transfer throughput while supporting an astounding 128 TB of client-class NVMe storage; attributes that are particularly beneficial for AI driven workflows that require high-speed storage solutions capable of rapidly processing vast quantities of data. The compact, professional-grade PCIe AIC storage solution can be easily integrated into any x86 workstation or server platform capable of supporting modern dual-width GPUs, and is equipped with a comprehensive suite of management and monitoring tools designed to optimize and streamline the platforms NVMe storage ecosystem.

Advanced Architecture Maximizes Capacity and Performance
Innovative, dual-sided, vertically aligned M.2 loading trays can directly host up to sixteen 2280 form factor M.2 SSDs using only one side of the PCB. This unique architecture results in an impressively slim hardware footprint, with a form factor similar to that of a high-end dual-width GPU. The sixteen device channels can operate independently or concurrently, and enable the SSD7749M2 to support an astonishing 128 TB of M.2 storage, with the potential to scale up to 256 TB in the near future, all from a single PCIe slot!

Silicon Motion Technology Corporation ("Silicon Motion"), a global leader in designing and marketing NAND flash controllers for solid-state storage devices, today launched the SM2322, the industry's fastest single-chip high-performance, low-power, and cost-effective solution for external portable SSDs, supporting up to 8 TB of storage and achieves unparalleled data transfer rates of 20 Gbps for storing and accessing large amounts of content seamlessly from AI smartphones, high-performance multimedia devices, and game consoles.

With the increase of AI-capable devices, high density and high-performance storage solutions are becoming more critical to consumers. Portable SSDs powered by the new SM2322 controller are the only solution that offers low-cost, high-density and high-performance, making it the ideal solution for these applications. Equipped with a USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 interface with 20 Gb/s bandwidth and fully integrated hardware and software solution delivering peak sequential read and write transfer speeds of 2,100 MB/s and 2,000 MB/s, respectively, with up to 8 TB capacity, SM2322 powered high-performance portable SSDs enable an ultra-compact and lightweight form factor. The SM2322 supports the ProRes format and MFi specification for iPhone users while also being compatible with Windows, Android OS, and macOS, making it an ideal high-density, high-performance portable storage solution for AI smartphones, HD content creators, and gaming enthusiasts who require high-density, high-performance portable storage.

Apple today announced the redesigned 11-inch and all-new 13-inch iPad Air, supercharged by the M2 chip. Now available in two sizes for the first time, the 11-inch iPad Air is super-portable, and the 13-inch model provides an even larger display for more room to work, learn, and play. Both deliver phenomenal performance and advanced capabilities, making iPad Air more powerful and versatile than ever before. Featuring a faster CPU, GPU, and Neural Engine in M2, the new iPad Air offers even more performance and is an incredibly powerful device for artificial intelligence. The front-facing Ultra Wide 12MP camera with Center Stage is now located along the landscape edge of iPad Air, which is perfect for video calls. It also includes faster Wi-Fi, and cellular models include super-fast 5G, so users can stay connected on the go. With a portable design, all-day battery life, a brilliant Liquid Retina display, and support for Apple Pencil Pro, Apple Pencil (USB-C), and Magic Keyboard, iPad Air empowers users to be even more productive and creative. The new iPad Air is available in new blue and purple finishes, along with starlight and space gray. The 11-inch iPad Air still starts at just $599, and the 13-inch iPad Air is a fantastic value at just $799. Customers can order the new iPad Air today, with availability beginning Wednesday, May 15.

"So many users—from students, to content creators, to small businesses, and more—love iPad Air for its performance, portability, and versatility, all at an affordable price. Today, iPad Air gets even better," said Bob Borchers, Apple's vice president of Product Marketing. "We're so excited to introduce the redesigned 11-inch and all-new 13-inch iPad Air, offering two sizes for the first time. With its combination of a brilliant Liquid Retina display, the phenomenal performance of the M2 chip, incredible AI capabilities, and its colorful, portable design with support for new accessories, iPad Air is more powerful and versatile than ever."

As we witness Apple's generational updates of the M series of chips, the highly anticipated SKU of the 3rd generation of Apple M series yet-to-be-announced top-of-the-line M3 Ultra chip is growing speculations from industry insiders. The latest round of reports suggests that the M3 Ultra might step away from its predecessor's design, potentially adopting a monolithic architecture without the UltraFusion interconnect technology. In the past, Apple has relied on a dual-chip design for its Ultra variants, using the UltraFusion interconnect to combine two M series Max chips. For example, the second generation M Ultra chip, M2 Ultra, boasts 134 billion transistors across two 510 mm² chips. However, die-shots of the M3 Max have sparked discussions about the absence of dedicated chip space for the UltraFusion interconnect.

While the absence of visible interconnect space on early die-shots is not conclusive evidence, as seen with the M1 Max not having visible UltraFusion interconnect and still being a part of M1 Ultra with UltraFusion, industry has led the speculation that the M3 Ultra may indeed feature a monolithic design. Considering that the M3 Max has 92 billion transistors and is estimated to have a die size between 600 and 700 mm², going Ultra with these chips may be pushing the manufacturing limit. Considering the maximum die size limit of 848 mm² for the TSMC N3B process used by Apple, there may not be sufficient space for a dual-chip M3 Ultra design. The potential shift to a monolithic design for the M3 Ultra raises questions about how Apple will scale the chip's performance without the UltraFusion interconnect. Competing solutions, such as NVIDIA's Blackwell GPU, use a high-bandwidth C2C interface to connect two 104 billion transistor chips, achieving a bandwidth of 10 TB/s. In comparison, the M2 Ultra's UltraFusion interconnect provided a bandwidth of 2.5 TB/s.

A team of academic researchers has uncovered a critical vulnerability in Apple M-series CPUs targeting data memory-dependent prefetcher (DMP) that could allow attackers to extract secret encryption keys from Macs. The flaw, called GoFetch, is based on the microarchitecture design of the Apple Silicon, which means that it cannot be directly patched and poses a significant risk to users' data security. The vulnerability affects all Apple devices powered by M-series chips, including the popular M1 and M2 generations. The M3 generation can turn a special bit off to disable DMP, potentially hindering performance. The DMP, designed to optimize performance by preemptively loading data that appears to be a pointer, violates a fundamental requirement of constant-time programming by mixing data and memory access patterns. This creates an exploitable side channel that attackers can leverage to extract secret keys.

To execute the GoFetch attack, attackers craft specific inputs for cryptographic operations, ensuring that pointer-like values only appear when they have correctly guessed bits of the secret key. By monitoring the DMP's dereference behavior through cache-timing analysis, attackers can verify their guesses and gradually unravel the entire secret key. The researchers demonstrated successful end-to-end key extraction attacks on popular constant-time implementations of both classical and post-quantum cryptography, highlighting the need for a thorough reevaluation of the constant-time programming paradigm in light of this new vulnerability.

Apple's M-series chips frighten Intel, AMD, and Microsoft like nothing else can, as they have the potential to power MacBooks to grab a sizable share of the notebook market share. This is based squarely on the phenomenal performance/Watt on offer with Apple's chips. A user installed Windows 11 Arm on a virtual machine running on an M2-powered MacBook, opened up CPU-Z (which of course doesn't detect the chip since it's on a VM). They then ran a CPU-Z Bench session for a surprising result—a single-threaded score of 749.5 points, with a multithreaded score of 3822.3 points.

The single-thread score in particular is comparable to Intel's 12th Gen Core "Alder Lake" chips (their "Golden Cove" P-cores); maybe not on the fastest Core i9-12900K, but of the mid-range Core i5 chips, such as the i5-12600. It's able to do this at a fraction of the power and heat output. It is on the backs of this kind of IPC that Apple is building bigger chips such as the M3 Pro and M3 Max, which are able to provide HEDT or workstation-class performance, again, at a fraction of the power.

Apple today announced Apple Vision Pro will be available beginning Friday, February 2, at all U.S. Apple Store locations and the U.S. Apple Store online. Vision Pro is a revolutionary spatial computer that transforms how people work, collaborate, connect, relive memories, and enjoy entertainment. Vision Pro seamlessly blends digital content with the physical world and unlocks powerful spatial experiences in visionOS, controlled by the most natural and intuitive inputs possible—a user's eyes, hands, and voice.

An all-new App Store provides users with access to more than 1 million compatible apps across iOS and iPadOS, as well as new experiences that take advantage of the unique capabilities of Vision Pro. Pre-orders for Apple Vision Pro begin Friday, January 19, at 5 a.m. PST. "The era of spatial computing has arrived," said Tim Cook, Apple's CEO. "Apple Vision Pro is the most advanced consumer electronics device ever created. Its revolutionary and magical user interface will redefine how we connect, create, and explore."

Apple introduced its 15-inch MacBook Air at June's WWDC23 event—the giant multinational technology had taken feedback from its customer base, and followed through by rolling out a larger version of the existing M2-based 13-inch model. That appeasement could be a wasted effort, given the latest rumors emerging from Asia. DigiTimes has gathered information from sources within Apple's supply chain—they claim that "the 15-inch MacBook Air...reportedly didn't meet customer demand expectations. There are even calls for the supply chain to put shipments on hold."

The 15-inch MacBook Air's shipment volume for July is reportedly 50% short of the company's original projection, with a broad downturn in the global notebook market factoring in as a reason for sluggish sales. The model's $1299 starting price appears to be quite reasonable at first glance, but the entry point only gives you a spec consisting of non-upgradable 8 GB (unified) RAM and 256 GB solid state storage. A discerning buyer is semi-forced to shell out closer to $2000 for a more competitive configuration, comparable to the closest Window 11 slimline laptops. The high asking prices, on top of a mixed reception around launch time have done the 15-inch MacBook Air few favors. Apple enthusiasts are probably saving up and waiting for the arrival of upcoming M3 chipset-equipped models. DigiTimes reckons that an "upcoming announcement" regarding a next-gen MacBook Pro is due very soon.

Apple today announced M2 Ultra, a new system on a chip (SoC) that delivers huge performance increases to the Mac and completes the M2 family. M2 Ultra is the largest and most capable chip Apple has ever created, and it makes the new Mac Studio and Mac Pro the most powerful Mac desktops ever made. M2 Ultra is built using a second-generation 5-nanometer process and uses Apple's groundbreaking UltraFusion technology to connect the die of two M2 Max chips, doubling the performance. M2 Ultra consists of 134 billion transistors—20 billion more than M1 Ultra. Its unified memory architecture supports up to a breakthrough 192 GB of memory capacity, which is 50 percent more than M1 Ultra, and features 800 GB/s of memory bandwidth—twice that of M2 Max. M2 Ultra features a more powerful CPU that's 20 percent faster than M1 Ultra, a larger GPU that's up to 30 percent faster, and a Neural Engine that's up to 40 percent faster. It also features a media engine with twice the capabilities of M2 Max for blazing ProRes acceleration. With all these advancements, M2 Ultra takes Mac performance to a whole new level yet again.

"M2 Ultra delivers astonishing performance and capabilities for our pro users' most demanding workflows, while maintaining Apple silicon's industry-leading power efficiency," said Johny Srouji, Apple's senior vice president of Hardware Technologies. "With huge performance gains in the CPU, GPU, and Neural Engine, combined with massive memory bandwidth in a single SoC, M2 Ultra is the world's most powerful chip ever created for a personal computer."

Apple today unveiled Apple Vision Pro, a revolutionary spatial computer that seamlessly blends digital content with the physical world, while allowing users to stay present and connected to others. Vision Pro creates an infinite canvas for apps that scales beyond the boundaries of a traditional display and introduces a fully three-dimensional user interface controlled by the most natural and intuitive inputs possible—a user's eyes, hands, and voice. Featuring visionOS, the world's first spatial operating system, Vision Pro lets users interact with digital content in a way that feels like it is physically present in their space. The breakthrough design of Vision Pro features an ultra-high-resolution display system that packs 23 million pixels across two displays, and custom Apple silicon in a unique dual-chip design to ensure every experience feels like it's taking place in front of the user's eyes in real time.

"Today marks the beginning of a new era for computing," said Tim Cook, Apple's CEO. "Just as the Mac introduced us to personal computing, and iPhone introduced us to mobile computing, Apple Vision Pro introduces us to spatial computing. Built upon decades of Apple innovation, Vision Pro is years ahead and unlike anything created before—with a revolutionary new input system and thousands of groundbreaking innovations. It unlocks incredible experiences for our users and exciting new opportunities for our developers."

"Creating our first spatial computer required invention across nearly every facet of the system," said Mike Rockwell, Apple's vice president of the Technology Development Group. "Through a tight integration of hardware and software, we designed a standalone spatial computer in a compact wearable form factor that is the most advanced personal electronics device ever."

Apple today introduced the 15-inch MacBook Air, the world's best 15-inch laptop. With an expansive 15.3-inch Liquid Retina display, the incredible performance of M2, up to 18 hours of battery life, and a silent, fanless design, the new MacBook Air brings power and portability - all in the world's thinnest 15-inch laptop. With an all-new six-speaker sound system, the 15-inch MacBook Air delivers immersive Spatial Audio, along with a 1080p FaceTime HD camera, MagSafe charging, and the power and ease of macOS Ventura for an unrivaled experience. Customers can order starting today, with availability beginning Tuesday, June 13. The 13-inch MacBook Air with M2 gets a new starting price of $1,099 - $100 less than before - to deliver even more value and choice to everyone, from upgraders to first-time Mac customers.

"We're thrilled to introduce the first 15-inch MacBook Air. With its incredible performance and striking design, the new MacBook Air is the world's best 15-inch laptop. And it's only possible with Apple silicon," said John Ternus, Apple's senior vice president of Hardware Engineering. "From its expansive Liquid Retina display and remarkably thin and fanless design, to extraordinary battery life and an immersive six-speaker sound system, the new MacBook Air has it all."

Regular readers of TPU might remember our in-depth USB4 article that we posted almost a year ago, but since then, very little has happened and ASMedia has as yet to make its ASM4242 USB4 host controller available to its partners and then ASM2464 USB4 to PCIe 4.0 bridge was suffering the same fate until May this year, when it was released to ASMedia's customers. It turns out most of it is related to USB-IF certification and the USB4 design documentation, as the certification wasn't quite ready for a third party host controller and the design documents were—shall we say—less than complete and relied too heavily on the Thunderbolt 3 spec. This meant that ASMedia had to retest and redo a lot of work they had done, due to a certain spec donator having assumed that other companies knew how it had designed its Thunderbolt products.

The good news is that we should see the ASM4242 in the market before the end of this year and ASMedia is busy testing it and its ASM2464 with a wide range of products to make sure compatibility is as good as possible. In the company suite at Computex, ASMedia was showing the ASM2464 connected to Apple's M2 silicon, as well as Intel's latest CPUs with integrated Thunderbolt 4 support. There had been some performance related issues from Apple's side, but this has apparently been resolved in a recent update from Apple. As far as Intel is concerned, there are no compatibility issues with the 13th and possibly 12th gen mobile chips, but older Thunderbolt hardware might require a firmware update, which may or may not exist. Older Intel hardware also doesn't perform as well as its most recent solutions, but it doesn't mean there will be compatibility issues outright. As for AMD, ASMedia informed TPU that there were no issues, since AMD has a USB4 implementation in its mobile products that follow the USB-IF spec.

Thanks to the latest release of the Power On newsletter from Mark Gurman, we have additional information about Apple's upcoming M3 Pro chip. Currently in testing and reported on by an App Store developer, Apple is looking to upgrade the microarchitecture of the forthcoming chip and add additional cores to the system for more performance. As the report notes, the entry-level M3 Pro chip currently in testing will have 12 CPU cores, six for efficiency and six for performance tasks, with 18 graphics cores, all manufactured on TSMC's 3 nm node. The current baseline for M2 Pro is 10 CPU cores, where four are dedicated to efficiency, and six are dedicated to performance. The current generation entry-level M2 Pro also features a 16-core GPU, which is two cores fewer than the upcoming model.

Generally, the M3 Pro chip will boost integrated memory across the board, as the sample spotted in testing shows 36 GB of memory. The M2 Pro offered 32 GB in that memory tier, so a four GB increase is inbound there. Presumably, the 16 GB version (if it exists) and 64 GB version will also get memory bumps by going the M3 Pro route. Of course, we have to wait for more information as these chips become more widely available to developers.

CORSAIR, a world leader in enthusiast components for gamers, creators, and PC builders, today announced the launch of the MP700, its first PCIe Gen 5 M.2 SSD. Available in capacities up to 2 TB, the MP700 sets a new standard for next-generation storage, with sequential read and write performance topping out an incredible 10,000 MB/sec and 10,000 MB/sec respectively—up to 40% faster than even the best PCIe 4.0 SSDs available today (see cooling requirements below).

On top of the impressive sequential throughput, the random read and write performance of up to 1.5 million read and 1.7 million write input/output operations per second (IOPS) put the MP700 way ahead of the best PCIe Gen 4 drives. The MP700 is backward compatible with PCIe 4.0 motherboards, making this an upgrade that will last you for years to come. Native support for Microsoft DirectStorage ensures that you'll get the most from the latest games, while copying files in Windows and loading applications has never felt so fast.

Don't forget to check out the TechPowerUp Review of the CORSAIR MP700 2 TB SSD

Conflicting reports are flying around about Apple's next generation MacBook Air lineup, mostly surrounding suggestions of a firm release date or debut reveal at WWDC 2023. 9to5Mac claims that its insider sources have pointed to a new range of M3 chipset powered MacBook Air extra thin laptops offered up in two different screen sizes: 13-inch and 15-inch. An insider claimed last month that Apple's upcoming laptop lineup was in an advanced stage of production, and was far along enough to warrant an "imminent" launch window. A Taiwanese publication has presented new evidence this week, and it posits that Apple could drop M3 chipset-based laptops from announcement presentations organized for this year's Worldwide Developers Conference, which is set to take place from June 5 to 9.

According to the financial section of Taiwan's UDN news site, Apple's key decision makers could be in favor of fielding laptops based on its current generation M2 SoC, instead of an entry-level M3-based range, due to delays and changes in priority for the N3B node at TSMC foundries. This is seen as an odd move given reports from earlier this month of Apple requesting a reduction in factory output for its M2 chips, following a slump in demand. Apple could be changing its strategy with regards to the alleged surplus of M2 silicon - the article theorizes that the company will spend more time fitting the older generation chipsets into a new range of laptops and desktop computers. An M3-based product line could be delayed into late 2023, and it is alleged that TSMC has been instructed to concentrate mostly on manufacturing Apple's Bionix A17 mobile chipset via the cutting edge 3 nm FinFet technology process (N3B) - earmarked to debut on the iPhone 15 Pro in autumn 2023.

Reports from supply chain partners suggests that Apple cut off production of their current generation M2 SoC lineup in the months of January and February following significantly decreased demand for Mac computers containing the chips. The details trace back to partners in Outsourced Semiconductor Package Test, or OSAT, which is many different companies in the supply chain that contribute to assembly and testing of the final packaged SoC. OSAT partners claim they received zero M2 wafers from TSMC during both months, and that shipments have only resumed at half of the previous capacity in the month of March. The breadth of this shutdown touched many different suppliers, from the packaging facilities in Korea, to the solder ball suppliers in Taiwan, the TIM suppliers in Germany, and die underfill material suppliers from Japan. Many of these parts can be specific to the type of chip being produced, as M2 features a different packaging method to Apple's normal A-Series mobile SoCs; a lack of M2 silicon led to a full shutdown of this supply chain. An industry insider for Amcona states, "It is impossible to do other packaging work on the M2 line, the so-called 'Apple line' installed in Amcona chip packs."

In their Q1 2023 earnings conference Apple reported a sharp revenue drop in Mac sales from $10.85B down to $7.74B. "The PC market is facing a very challenging situation," stated Tim Cook, Apple's CEO, "I think we have an advantage with silicon but it will be very difficult in the short term." Apple began production of M2 well over a year ago when demand for Apple silicon equipped MacBooks was still sky high, and likely had large reserves of finished chips and machines stockpiled for the launch of M2 Pro and M2 Max in January. With demand dipping up to the launch of the new MacBook models it would certainly justify slowing down production, but outright halting it for multiple months suggests demand far undershot Apple's expectation.