Apple launched the Mac Studio with M1 Max and M1 Extremely chips in March 2022. Positioned as a brand-new pro-tier Mac, it’s finest described as a Mac mini on steroids. Nevertheless, now that the M2 Professional Mac mini has arrived, the choice to purchase a desktop Mac is a little bit trickier. There’s additionally the overdue Apple silicon Mac Professional that can quickly be a part of the combo.
With a trio of pro-tier Macs, all eyes are actually on the second-generation Mac Studio: When it should arrive? How briskly will it’s? And the way Apple will differentiate it from the Mac mini and the Mac Professional?
Mac Studio: Launch date
Now that the M2 Max chip has arrived within the 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Professional, it’s seemingly solely a matter of time earlier than the chip makes its method into the Mac Studio. Based mostly on the present mannequin, the Mac Studio can even ship with an M2 Extremely chip, which can possible debut within the first Apple silicon Mac Professional.
There’s some expectation that Apple will unveil the brand new Mac Professional at its worldwide builders convention, WWDC, in June, so it’s potential that the Mac Studio replace may come on the similar time. Nevertheless, there’s some uncertainty about how Apple will distinguish the Mac Studio from the Mac Professional in the event that they share the identical chip.
Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman claims that Apple gained’t must. In a February 2023 installment of his PowerOn e-newsletter, he wrote that he “wouldn’t anticipate the introduction of a Mac Studio within the close to future. The upcoming Mac Professional could be very related in performance to the Mac Studio—and provides the M2 Extremely chip slightly than the M1 Extremely. So it wouldn’t make sense for Apple to supply an M2 Extremely Mac Studio and M2 Extremely Mac Professional on the similar time.”
Gurman thinks it’s most definitely that “Apple both by no means updates the Mac Studio or holds off till the M3 or M4 technology.” Might the Mac Studio be similar to the iMac Professional—a stop-gap that Apple by no means updates and finally discontinues? It’s beginning to appear to be that could be the case. As a substitute of an anticipated 2023 replace to an M2 chip, we’d not get an replace till 2025, a full three years after its debut.
Perhaps we gained’t have to attend for that lengthy although. Hidden references to three new desktop Macs have been noticed in Apple’s Discover My app. Developer Nicolas Álvarez noticed the references to 3 unknown desktop Macs: Mac14,8; Mac14,13; and Mac14,14 within the Discover My app. The rationale he believes these are desktop Macs is that these Macs have the “left behind” notification disabled and desktops have a tendency to remain in a single place. This might point out that each the Mac Studio and the Mac Professional might be up to date at WWDC in June 2023.
Subsequent Mac Studio: Worth
Assuming that Apple does launch a brand new Mac Studio, what’s going to it value? When Apple added the M2 Professional and M2 Max processors to the lineup with the introduction of the brand new MacBook Professional and Mac mini in January 2023, it up to date pricing for some Macs in international locations exterior the U.S. For instance, within the U.Okay. every iMac mannequin now prices £150 extra.
Nevertheless, the value of the Mac Studio stayed the identical, indicating that Apple is both glad with the pricing, or that it’ll enhance when the brand new fashions are launched.
One indication that the value of the Mac Studio may go up within the U.S. and elsewhere is the pricing of a equally specced M2 Professional Mac mini, which we predict is senseless subsequent to the Mac Studio. For instance, when you had been to configure a Mac mini with M2 Professional 12-core CPU, 19-core GPU, 32GB unified reminiscence, and 512GB of storage, it will value you $1,999/£2,099, the identical as an ordinary Mac Studio with M1 Max 10-core CPU, 24-core GPU, 32GB unified reminiscence and a 512GB SSD. All issues being equal, you’re getting a greater chip and extra growth with the Mac Studio for a similar worth. So one thing has to provide. Sadly the most definitely reply is that Apple will enhance the value of the Mac Studio.
Subsequent Mac Studio: Design
The Mac Studio has a really related design to the Mac mini. Each are silver and have an Apple brand on the highest. The bottom of the Mac Studio is precisely the identical measurement: 7.7 inches sq. (19.7cm) because the Mac mini, however the Mac Studio is taller: 3.7 inches (9.5cm) slightly than 1.41 inches (3.58cm). That is unlikely to vary, though it will be good to see a House Grey choice.
Roman Loyola / Foundry
Subsequent Mac Studio: Processor and specs
We already know what to anticipate from the M2 Max. As for the M2 Extremely, we are able to infer some particulars in regards to the chip from rumors and our expertise with the M1 Extremely, which is 2 M1 Max processors fused collectively. Right here’s how the chips break down:
M2 Max
- CPU: 12 cores
- GPU: 30 cores/38 cores
- RAM: 32GB/64GB/96GB (with 38-core GPU)
M2 Extremely
- CPU: As much as 24 cores
- GPU: As much as 76 cores
- RAM: As much as 192GB
If Apple waits to replace the Mac Studio till the M3 Max/Extremely or M4 Max/Extremely arrives, it’s arduous to say how a lot quicker the chips might be, however with an anticipated transfer to 3nm with the M3, the pace increase might be important.
Subsequent Mac Studio: Ports
The Mac Studio already has a wide selection of ports, with 4 Thunderbolt 4 ports, 10Gb ethernet, two USB-A ports, HDMI 2.0, and a 3.5 mm headphone jack. That was a powerful array of ports for 2022, however it got here with some limitations.
For one, the HDMI 2.0 port means customers can solely join a show with 4K decision at 60Hz. The 2023 Mac mini has an HDMI 2.1 port with help for 4K at 240Hz and 8K at 60Hz. Moreover, the 2023 Mac mini brings Bluetooth 5.3 and Wi-Fi 6E, each of that are prone to make an look within the subsequent Mac Studio.
