Developer logs: Apple tests an M3 with 12 CPU cores, 18 GPU cores, and 36GB of RAM; Meta pulls Messenger from Apple Watch and launches WhatsApp on WearOS
here's why (report) MacDailyNews : Apple's M3 Pro said to sport 12 CPU cores, 18 graphics cores, 36GB of memory João Silva / KitGuru : Apple M3 Pro specifications leak out Christian Zibreg / iDownloadBlog.com : Apple already testing M3 chips while we're awaiting M2-based MacBook Air Oliver Haslam / TechRadar : M3 Pro MacBook Pro could be much more powerful, but it won't launch in 2023 Igor Bonifacic / Engadget : Apple's ‘M3 Pro’ chipset could feature 12 CPU cores Benjamin Mayo / 9to5Mac : First M3 Macs may launch by end of the year, chip has more CPU/GPU cores compared to M2 Tom Pritchard / Tom's Guide : MacBook Pro M3 Pro specs leak with incredible power Charlesarthur / The Overspill : Start Up No.2005: why Google's Bard isn't in the EU, astronomy meets AI, Twitter's new “CEO” profiled, media's traffic dream, and more Chris Barylick / O'Grady's PowerPage : Rumor: Apple currently testing “M3 Pro” chip for release in next-gen MacBook Pro notebooks Alex Blake / Digital Trends : Here's why Apple's M3 MacBook chip could destroy its rivals Shubham Verma / Techlusive : Apple M3 Mac models with over 108 cores may launch by year-end Ashwin / gHacks Technology News : Apple M3 Pro chipset could have 12 CPU cores David Eden-Sangwell / Supercharged : Future AirPods Pro with built-in thermometer still on Apple's roadmap, but timing remains unclear Palash Volvoikar / iMore : Apple is testing an M3 Pro chip for a MacBook Pro upgrade coming in 2024 Surur / BigTechWire : Apple Reportedly Testing Powerful M3 Chip, Outpacing the Yet Unreleased M2 John Quintet / iPhone in Canada Blog : Apple M3 Mac Chip Specs and Features Revealed, Says Report Omar Sohail / Wccftech : M3 Pro Launch Timeline Disclosed In Latest Report, Apple Testing Out 12-Core CPU Variant With More Efficiency Cores Omer Dursun / Neowin : Apple's M3 Pro reportedly coming with 12 CPU cores, 36 GB of memory Nadeem Sarwar / SlashGear : Apple Is Already Testing The M3 And M3 Pro Chips, New Leak Reveals GSMArena.com : Apple M3 chip's specs revealed as testing starts Jack Purcher / Patently Apple : Mac Fans may have to wait until late 2023 or even H1 2024 to get their hands on Macs powered Apple's next-gen 3nm Chips Rajesh Pandey / Cult of Mac : Apple's next-gen M3 Pro chip could pack even more CPU and GPU cores Mark Tyson / Tom's Hardware : Report: Apple Testing M3 Pro Chips With 12 CPU and 18 GPU Cores Slashdot : Apple Begins Testing Speedy M3 Chips That Could Feature 12 CPU Cores Asma Hussain / iThinkDifferent : First M3 Macs to arrive in late 2023 with improved CPU/GPU cores Malcolm Owen / AppleInsider : Rumored next-generation Apple Silicon processor expected in fall 2023 at the earliest Gurman / iClarified : Apple Testing ‘M3 Pro’ Chip With 12 CPU Cores, 18 GPU Cores [Gurman] Tweets: Palmer Luckey / @palmerluckey : The Apple headset is so good. Palmer Luckey / @palmerluckey : @JonathanDrake @Scobleizer Scoble has been claiming the Apple headset is less than a year from release every year since 2016. He is a clueless asshole who pretends to still have the connections he had before sexually assaulting multiple women. Brian Penny🍿 / @thebrianpenny : @Scobleizer The problem of mass VR adoption was never performance. There's already some amazing VR experiences that are cross platform. I'm sure Apple will sell a few. It could even take 3rd place. But I don't see them affecting the overall VR market penetration much. Fox / @soft_fox_lad : sucks that nobody has anything remotely close to apple silicon, so apple is going to be the only company w/decent vr for a good while https://twitter.com/... Brian Penny🍿 / @thebrianpenny : @Scobleizer Most importantly they don't have Zuck building it out in the wrong ways and trying to turn a really cool gaming console into a zoom call with too many steps. I'm sure they'll sell some. Quest 2 is the only viable competitor for wireless. Just don't think it'll be the next iPhone Larry Rosenthal / @larryrosenthal : @CixLiv a lot of rich folk now claiming the metaverse is hot. not dead. lol so sad. @cixliv : Well... this would change everything. https://twitter.com/... Robert Scoble / @scobleizer : @TheBrianPenny Except Apple has stores. The others don't. And content that the others don't. And the most trust. By far. Of any of these companies. Plus way more research on humans. By far. Among other advantages. The others will not be relevant this Christmas. At all. Robert Scoble / @scobleizer : I've been saying this for years and pissing off everyone in VR. On June 5th more than 12 years of waiting comes to an end. https://twitter.com/... Vadim Yuryev / @vadimyuryev : There's a chance we get a 10-core regular M3 chip with the die shrink. I think it's time! Only question is: do we get two more P cores or two more E cores? If we still get an 8-core, it's because Apple wants to further differentiate performance between them. https://twitter.com/... Mark Gurman / @markgurman : Power On: As Apple prepares to launch its next M2 Macs, the company is already ramping up testing of M3 chips. Here are the details and code counts of the next-generation 3 nanometer processors https://www.bloomberg.com/...
Context & Ripple Effects
Apple’s reported M3 Pro testing fits a custom-silicon progression that began with the M1’s introduction for Macs. It also echoes the earlier appearance of M1 Pro and M1 Max in developer logs, making logs a recurring early signal of Apple’s Mac-chip roadmap.
The accompanying Meta app changes illustrate a separate but related platform reality: wearable messaging availability is controlled app by app, rather than following automatically from a company’s broader phone presence.
First-order effects
- Apple is reportedly evaluating an M3 Pro configuration with 12 CPU cores, 18 GPU cores, and 36GB of memory, giving its Mac roadmap a defined prospective performance and memory tier.
- Messenger is no longer available on Apple Watch, while WhatsApp is now available on Wear OS; users of the two watch platforms face an immediate difference in Meta messaging access.
Second-order effects
- Wear OS gains a higher-profile messaging use case while Apple Watch loses one, increasing the importance of individual app support in how users compare the platforms.
- The reported M3 Pro test points to another Apple-silicon refresh cycle, keeping pressure on Mac rivals to differentiate through their own performance, software, or device propositions rather than assuming Apple’s prior chip generation is the baseline.
Third-order effects
- If this allocation pattern persists, wearable ecosystems will compete less on nominal device capability alone and more on which communications services choose to maintain native experiences.
- Apple’s repeated transition from chip testing signals to product launches suggests custom silicon remains a central lever for controlling Mac product segmentation—though testing details alone do not establish a launch schedule or final configuration.
The trend: This is one data point in platform-controlled computing, where Apple advances differentiated in-house hardware while major app providers selectively allocate experiences across device ecosystems.