The expectations were true: Apple has unveiled a high-powered headless desktop that sits between the Mac mini and Mac Pro. The company’s Mac Studio is a compact machine with up to a 20-core M1 Ultra chip. And a 64-core GPU that is more expandable than the mini. Apple believes Studio is up to 60 percent faster than a 28-core Intel Mac Pro in CPU tasks, 80 percent faster than the fastest Mac graphics cards, and can process up to 18 8K ProRes 4:2:2 video streams at once.
Coolest Features of Apple Mac Studio
Now that Mac Studio has been officially announced, let’s consider what makes it stand out, besides its name and the fact that it is the “latest thing”.
M1 Ultra
M1 Ultra itself is also an interesting technology. According to Apple, a new type of hardware architecture called “UltraFusion” allows the two separate chips to operate as a single processor and to work together as a single processor. The company says it is now able to maintain high performance and memory bandwidth without significantly increasing the amount of energy required to function.
Mac apps and macOS Monterey are supposed to scale with Apple Silicon. And should be able to take advantage of the increased CPU, GPU, and memory bandwidth that M1 Ultra provides without having to update.
Connectivity
The Mac Studio features four Thunderbolt 4 (USB-C) ports on the rear for connecting displays and high-performance devices. It also has a 10Gb Ethernet port, two USB-A ports, an HDMI port, and a pro audio jack. Wi-Fi6 and Bluetooth 5.0 are built-in. Two USB-C ports on the front of the Mac Studio, with the M1 Max offering 10Gb/ s USB 3, and M1 Ultra supports 40 Gb/s Thunderbolt 4. It also supports an SD card.
Release date
Mac Studio is available for order today and will be available to customers beginning Friday, March 18.
Price
Both Mac Studio models will be available starting March 18 but can be pre-ordered now for $1,999 for the M1 Max model and $3,999 for the M1 Ultra model. Payment plans are available for both.
Conclusion: Apple Mac Studio
The Mac Studio appears to be a powerful computer that sits above the popular mini; the Mac Studio is not a replacement for the Mac Pro; Apple stated during the launch that the Mac Pro line would eventually be converted to its own silicon. The company has also stated that it will continue to develop new products in the near future.
