Why did Apple move from the M3 to the M4 so quickly?

One of the biggest surprises at Apple's event on May 7, 2024 was the announcement of the next-generation Apple Silicon, M4 . 9to5Mac , which handles Apple-related news, summarizes why the next-generation Apple Silicon of the M3 series will be released less than a year after its announcement.

M4 already? Here's why Apple is abandoning the M3 chip so fast - 9to5Mac
https://9to5mac.com/2024/05/10/m4-already-apple-abandoning-m3/

Apple announced its first Apple silicon, the M1 , in November 2020. About a year later, in October 2021, it announced the higher-end models of the M1 series , the M1 Pro and M1 Max , and in March 2022, the top-of-the-line model, the M1 Ultra . In June 2022, it announced the M2 , in January 2023 the M2 Pro and M2 Max , and in June 2023 the M2 Ultra .

The M3, M3 Pro, and M3 Max will be announced simultaneously in October 2023. The M3 series was touted as the first chip manufactured using the 3nm process for Apple silicon for Macs.

Apple announces next-generation M series 'M3', 'M3 Pro' and 'M3 Max', the first 3nm process chip for Mac - GIGAZINE

However, less than a year after the launch of the M3 series, Apple announced the next generation of Apple silicon, the M4, which is advertised as using second-generation 3nm technology.

Next-generation Apple Silicon 'M4' arrives, achieving AI processing performance that exceeds that of other companies' NPUs - GIGAZINE

The M3-equipped MacBook Air was announced in March 2024, and the M4 appeared just two months later, so 9to5Mac points out that 'many people probably thought the M3 era would continue for a while.'

Regarding why Apple moved from the M3 series to the M4 so early, 9to5Mac writes, 'The exact reason has not been revealed, but it is very easy to predict from existing information.' 9to5Mac points out that the M4 uses 'second-generation 3nm technology.' The M3 series also uses the 3nm process, but it is emphasized that the M4 uses a different next-generation 3nm process.

Regarding the reason for this, 9to5Mac said, 'It is not surprising that Apple has moved from the 3nm process used in the M3 to the second-generation 3nm process, because when Apple moved to the 3nm process in April 2023, there were reports of significant issues with product yields.

In fact, before the M3 series was announced, EE Times reported that TSMC, which manufactures Apple silicon, is working hard to meet Apple's demand for 3nm chips, but yield issues are preventing the transition to mass production.

Due to the low yield of 3nm process chips, it has also been reported that TSMC has signed an agreement with Apple under which it will not charge for defective die.

TSMC has signed a contract with Apple not to charge for defective chips manufactured using the 3nm generation process, why? - GIGAZINE

by Business Durham

Based on this, 9to5Mac points out that 'the quick transition from M3 to M4 indicates ongoing and obvious problems with the original M3 manufacturing process. The original process continues to have inefficiencies and yield issues, and Apple is not satisfied with TSMC's response. ' In other words, the transition to M4 is not just to announce a more powerful chip, but also to minimize losses associated with the production of the M3 series.