During the two-year transition period that Apple announced to migrate the architecture of its equipment using Intel processors to its proprietary Apple Silicon processors, the only system that remains to be updated today is the Mac Pro and we are almost on schedule.
Well, we’ve been watching the WWDC celebration for another year, and we’ve seen how some computers such as the MacBook Air and MacBook Pro 13 have already received the second generation of Apple Silicon chips which have been dubbed under the name of M2 chips.
Will these chips be the ones that lead the best performance of the new Mac Pro computers? That remains to be seen and everything seems to indicate that it will indeed be a more evolved version of the M2, like the M2 Pro or the M2 Max in their different configurations.
When will the new Mac Pro be released?
As we expected, Apple is silent on the launch date of the new Mac Pro, but we know that the deadline to comply with transition plans for the entire line ends in 2022.
Apple made the surprising decision to anticipate the launch of the future Mac Pro at its event which took place on March 8, 2022, during which they were launched on iPad Air 5the iPhone SE 3 and the Mac Studio.
Speaking of the transition to Apple Silicon, Tim Cook mentioned in closing the opening speech presentation that “the new Studio joins the rest of the Mac lineup, making the transition almost complete, with just one more product to come, the Mac Pro. But that’s for another day.”
Based on that, when exactly will the Mac Pro appear? Looking at past generations, the Mac Pro launched in December 2019. That said, Apple could do the same with the new model.
This would give the company as much time as possible to refine the design, the technology and the maximum power that must be guaranteed by the most powerful team in the company, to deliver the professional quality experience on which professionals of creation matter.
How much will the new Mac Pro cost?
It is unlikely that the new Mac Pro cheaper than today, with prices starting at $6,499 for the most basic entry-level model. If you increase the components, the price can go up to $53,199.
It is therefore clear that it is not a Mac computer for all audiences. It’s designed for big-budget movie studios, animation studios, and other creative businesses, which makes the price a little more understandable.
Those hoping to see a lower price on the Mac Pro (2022) were likely disappointed by the announcement of the Mac Studio, which is priced at $2,329 for its most basic configuration.
What components will the Mac Pro (2022) have?
Although there is still some time before the potential launch of the new Mac Pro, rumors are already swirling, giving us an idea of what we can expect from the next-gen kit.
Apple Silicon chipset
The main driver of the next Mac Pro refresh is the transition to Apple Silicon, so it’s safe to say that the new Mac Pro will have an Apple-made chipset, far exceeding the capabilities of the M1 Pro, M1 Max and even M1 Ultra. .
The report comes from Bloomberg , which claims that the new Mac Pro’s chipset will apparently be split into two options. This is before what happened at the WWDC event, where we saw the appearance of the new M2 chips.
It’s unclear what the chip breakdown would be, but it looks like the base model of the Mac Pro wouldn’t drop from 16 performance cores, 4 high-efficiency cores, and 64 graphics cores. The other high-end option would offer 32 performance cores, 8 high-efficiency cores, and 128 graphics cores.
The entry-level model looks suspiciously like the M1 Ultra found in the new Mac Studio, but with a strong chance of becoming the M2 Ultra, following in the footsteps of the 13-inch MacBook Air and MacBook Pro, both with the new chip.
Whatever it’s called, it leaves behind the 8 performance, 2 high performance, 16/32 cores of the current MacBook Pro, that’s for sure, but given its target audience, that’s not exactly a surprise.
No word yet on RAM and SSD options, but that will likely happen as we get closer to its release date.
A renewed design
Apple’s current Mac Pro was derided in 2019 for its design, with many internet memes comparing the high-end Mac to a cheese grater. With that still in mind, Apple will surely have wanted to review the options.
According to Apple leaker Jon Prosser, that’s exactly what will happen. Talking about the next Mac Pro in an episode of Front Page Technologythe visionary suggests the new high-end Mac will come in a body that looks like three Mac Minis stacked on top of each other.
However, Jon Prosser is far from specific about his claims, as the design is nearly identical to the Mac Studio, so it doesn’t look like a Mac Pro replacement.
The competing theory, this time from Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, is that the new Mac Pro will keep the existing design, but the overall form factor will be slimmed down a bit. This describe as a “refreshed and smaller Mac Pro with Apple Silicon”.
Given the amount of hardware included in the current Mac Pro, it would be difficult for Apple to upgrade to something similar to the Mac Mini – the upgrade option seems the more likely of the two – but we’ll update this section as new rumors emerge. .
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