While it was certain that Apple was readying a new Mac Pro for this WWDC, it seems the company will wait longer to introduce this high-end modular Mac – and this couldn’t be better good news. Early this week, Bloomberg‘s Mark Gurman said “several new Macs” were expected to be unveiled this WWDC. While the 15-inch MacBook Air and a Mac Pro were among the top candidates, the journalist has brought another report showing that the long-awaited Mac Pro will be a tale for another day.
According to him, Apple is testing two new Mac models, “Mac 14,13” and “Mac 14,14.” They’re both Mac desktops and will run the M2 Max chip – most likely, a Mac Studio. In addition, Apple still has to announce a new configuration with the M2 Ultra chip.
The M2 Max processor offers a 12-core CPU and 30-core GPU with support for up to 96GB of RAM. M2 Ultra, on the other hand, will double those specs with a 24-core CPU, 60-core GPU, and up to 192GB of RAM. A higher-end version of the M2 Ultra has a 76-core GPU.
While the M2 Ultra was expected to power the Apple SIlicon Mac Pro, it seems Apple has scrapped this idea as the design progress of this Mac is pretty unclear at this point. That said, it’s natural that Apple will update its Mac Studio instead, so it can continue offering the best specs on a powerful machine.
Why delaying the Mac Pro is actually good news?
When rumors about the Apple Silicon Mac Pro started, it would have a new design, upgradable parts, and an M2 Extreme chip, which would basically combine four M2 Max processors. However, by the beginning of the year, Bloomberg‘s Mark Gurman said “multiple changes to its features, a significant shift in the company’s plans for high-end processors, and a potential relocation of its manufacturing” delayed Apple’s launch plans for the Mac Pro.
With that, not only would this Mac lack a new design, but it wouldn’t have the modularity it was famous for. Rumors said it would feature wo SSD storage slots for graphics, media, and networking cards but no user-upgradeable RAM.
With so many drawbacks, I really hope Apple introduces a new Mac Studio instead of the Mac Pro – and save this product for another day.
WWDC 2023 is just four days away, and BGR will bring everything Apple has to announce as soon as we learn about them.