Although the Mac Studio has been well received since its release last spring, Apple may not release an updated model in the near future as many users expect. Mark Gurman reports in Bloomberg that the next Mac Pro with Apple Silicon is “similar in features to the Mac Studio”, and it might be redundant for Apple to sell both the Mac Pro and the revamped Mac Studio.
In the latest issue of his Power On newsletter, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman reports that a new version of Mac Studio is not expected “in the near future”. Instead, Apple will “probably never update Mac Studio” or wait up to generation M3 or M4 of Apple Silicon chips. If Apple waits a few more years, it could “better differentiate Mac Studio from upcoming Mac Pros.”
I did not foresee the introduction of a Mac Studio in the near future. The next Mac Pro is very similar in features to the Mac Studio, adding the M2 Ultra chip instead of the M1 Ultra. It would therefore make no sense for Apple to offer a Mac Studio M2 Ultra and a Mac Pro M2 Ultra at the same time. Most likely, Apple will never update Mac Studio or wait for M3 or M4 generation. At this point, the company will be better able to differentiate the Mac Studio from the Mac Pro.
The revamped Mac Pro with Apple Silicon is expected to launch this year with M2 Ultra and M2 Max chip configurations. Originally, Apple had considered an “M2 Extreme” chip consisting essentially of two fused M2 Ultra chips, but the idea was scrapped for cost and production reasons.
The new Mac Pro should keep an identical design to the current model. This means it will be a lathe machine with a large interior space for possible extensions. The question, however, is what users can expand or whether Apple is saving space for future models that don’t require and maintain the line in design. So far, it has been reported that Apple’s Silicon Mac Pro will not support expandable RAM, but will support expandable SSD, GPU, and networking capabilities.
Another design advantage of the Mac Pro over the Mac Studio is better cooling.. The Mac Studio has been criticized for its cooling system. With a much larger design, the Mac Pro could offer better cooling and maintain peak performance levels for longer.
If you’re waiting to buy a Mac Studio, keep this news in mind and the possible deals that might come out, because, as Gurman says, a renewal isn’t expected anytime soon.
