The Mac Pro, the last Mac without Apple Silicon, will in all likelihood offer a less powerful processor than previously assumed. The speculated “M2 Extreme”, a combination of two “M2 Ultra”, will not make it into the computer, reports Bloomberg. The distance to the Mac Studio should therefore be smaller.
According to the original plan, the company wanted to complete the complete switch to Apple Silicon by the end of 2022. A new Mac Pro has so far not made it into the targeted time window, which extends from WWDC in mid-2020 to today. Strictly speaking, the more powerful of the two Mac minis, which will continue to come with an Intel chip, still have to be switched to Apple Silicon. Even for all-in-one desktop computers like the iMac Pro there was never a successor with its own Apple processor.
Bloomberg reports that there are many reasons why there is still no new Mac Pro with Apple Silicon. According to this, there have been several changes to the equipment, a realignment of the high-end processors and considerations for production at a different location. >Mac Pro was planned with “M1 Extreme”
The new Mac Pro should have already come with a quadruple M1 Max, i.e. a double M1 Ultra, which is optionally found in the largest configuration of the Mac Studio. According to the report, the Mac Pro was later moved to the M2 generation by Apple Silicon, with two more “M2 Ultra” to form the “M2 Extreme”.
The M2 Ultra is expected with up to 24 CPU and 76 GPU cores, an M2 Extreme would have offered up to 48 CPU and 152 GPU cores accordingly. The current maximum of the M1 Ultra is 20 CPU and 64 GPU cores. The cores of the entire M1 family are derived from the A14 Bionic, while the cores of the A15 Bionic form the basis for the M2 generation. The M2 Ultra is said to be able to handle 192 GB of RAM, with the current Mac Studio supporting up to 128 GB.
Too complex and expensive< /h2>
In all probability, however, there will not be a Mac Pro with the M2 Extreme, reports Bloomberg. The complexity of the processor and the production costs were reasons for the decision against it. Apple and TSMC are also said to have more resources available for manufacturing processors in higher-volume computers. A configuration with M2 Extreme could also be extremely expensive. Even the Mac Studio with the M1 Ultra full configuration costs at least 5,749 euros, while the smallest Mac Pro with Intel Xeon starts at 6,499 euros. A hypothetical version of the new Mac Pro with the M2 Extreme will cost at least $10,000, Bloomberg speculates, which is likely to serve a niche within a niche.
Mac Studio (Image: Apple)< /figure>
Manufacturing in Vietnam
For these reasons, the new Mac Pro should come onto the market with a maximum of M2 Ultra. Compared to the Mac Studio, the system should come up with well-known features such as expandable RAM, SSD storage and other components. It remains to be seen whether professional users will be able to differentiate themselves from the Mac Studio. The Mac Studio should also come onto the market later with M2 Apple silicon. The new Mac Pro will be manufactured in Vietnam and no longer in the USA.
Updates for Mac mini, MacBook Pro and monitors
In the meantime, the Mac mini is to receive updates on the M2 and M2 Pro, which would also replace the last Intel variant there. At the beginning of next year, MacBook Pro 14" and 16″ get an upgrade to M2 Pro and M2 Max. An iMac Pro with Apple Silicon is also being considered, but the system suffers from delays like the Mac Pro.
Apple is also planning several new monitors, according to the report. However, the successor to the Pro Display XDR will only be presented after the new Mac Pro.