Last year, Apple unveiled the first generation of a new Mac line, the Mac Studio. Way more powerful than a Mac mini – and, to be fair, better and less expensive than an Intel Mac Pro – this machine confused people because Apple had already stated that a Mac Pro with custom silicon was in the works.
While rumors believed a new Mac Pro could be unveiled this WWDC, it seems a Mac Studio is more likely. Bloomberg‘s Mark Gurman said that “several new Macs” are expected during the keynote. Is the Mac Studio one of them? Here’s what we know.
Here’s everything wrong with the Mac Pro – and why it won’t land this WWDC
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 in mind, rumors about the most powerful Mac changed dramatically, and then it was expected to be a more “boring” machine. Despite the same design as the 2019 Mac Pro, it would feature the M2 Ultra chip – which is basically the successor of the M1 Ultra chip found on the Mac Studio.
Gurman said this Mac Pro would have two SSD storage slots for graphics, media, and networking cards. Unfortunately, it wouldn’t feature user-upgradeable RAM as it would be tied directly to the M2 Ultra’s motherboard.
That said, this Mac Pro almost looks like an updated version of the Mac Studio but without the redesign. So, it seems Apple won’t launch this product anymore.
The Mac Studio seems the obvious answer for WWDC
More recently, Mark Gurman said Apple is testing new high-end Macs with M2 Max and M2 Ultra. While he previously reported that Apple would skip the M2 series for the Mac Studio, it seems Apple has decided it was best to upgrade this machine rather than bringing a disappointing update to the Mac Pro.
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.
If that’s the case, it makes more sense for Apple to introduce a new Mac Studio and wait a bit more to give the Mac Pro the spotlight it deserves. Whatever the answer, we’ll discover Apple’s plans in less than a week.
