Bea Beltran Tech 02.05.2023 23:Feb PM EST

Apple Might Focus on Mac Pro and Set Mac Studio Aside for Now

Apple might put its efforts more into the upcoming Mac Pro instead of releasing an upgraded version of the Mac Studio. Since the two Mac models are similar in regard to functionality, it might be redundant to sell both at the same time, reports say.

Mac Studio Might Be Tabled for Now

Bloomberg's Mark Gurman stated that the introduction of a Mac Studio in the near future should not be anticipated. Given that the upcoming Mac Pro will be getting an M2 Ultra chip, he mentioned that it did not make sense for Apple to offer an M2 Ultra Mac Studio as well.

Gurman added that it's likely that Apple will halt updates for Mac Studio at least until the M3 or M4 generation, which the company will be then able to better distinguish the differences between the Mac Pro and the Mac Studio models, as mentioned in 9To5Mac.

One of the key differences between the Mac Pro and the Mac Studio is the build. For those with a smaller space to work with, the tower of the Mac Pro might not be the best idea. If people prefer a smaller PC but want better performance, they're going to have to sacrifice one.

The New Mac Pro

It's possible that the upcoming Mac Pro will be launched on June 2023, but then again, Apple has a habit of releasing the new Mac around October or November. The initial launch plans were actually earlier, so it appears that Apple is running late with the release.

The company claimed back in June 2020 that they plan to transition its Mac models to its own chips within two years, according to MacWorld, but 2022 has passed and the M1 chip has been released for Mac, and there is still no new release for Mac Pro in sight.

Gurman believes that the changes to Apple's manufacturing plans may have contributed to the delay. This could also be why the high-end configuration that gives the Mac Pro 48 CPU cores and 152 graphic cores has been scraped.

There's also the issue of pricing for the new model. The current Mac Pro starts at $5,999, and if the new Mac Pro went with the high-end route, it might have a starting price of around $10,000, which is a far leap from the 2019 Mac Pro.

As for the design, reports say that the new Mac Pro will retain its current design. The M2 Ultra chip can provide 24 CPU cores, 76 graphics cores, and up to 192 GB of memory. In comparison, the M2 Extreme chip would've offered 48 CPU cores and 152 graphic cores.

The downside to the new model is that users may not be able to upgrade their GPUs. Since the M-series chips feature the Unified Memory (RAM) build into the chip, they won't be able to upgrade the memory as well. They can still update the SSD, media, and networking cards.