In a long interview held by Max Tech, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman stated some intriguing news about the next Mac Pro. It appears that the anticipated flagship from Apple will be armed with a ‘Pro’ version of the M2 chip, which will probably be called M2 EXTREME (instead of ULTRA). That will transform the Mac Pro into a powerful machine dedicated to professionals, and with a more affordable price tag.
The Apple Silicon Mac Pro is almost ready
There’s no secret that the next Apple flagship is in the making. In a long interview held by Max Tech with Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, a few leaks have been revealed. The interview is long and touches on many topics, including the M2 ‘drama’. However, let’s be focused on the heavy-duty stuff, which is the SoC Mac Pro. It appears that the M1 Mac Pro was ready a few months ago but Apple has decided to halt the launch and wait for a more improved version. “They had an M1 Mac Pro ready to go… months ago, but they (Apple) scrapped that, waiting for the M2 version,” said Gurman.
A ‘compact’ version of Mac Pro
As reported previously, the Mac Pro that uses Apple’s own SoC will be “half the size” of the current Mac Pro, designed with aluminum chassis, and would remind the structure of the old Power Mac G4 Cube. The causes for size reduction are legit since Apple’s Silicon architecture improves efficiency in many aspects, including heat management. Unfortunately, in the interview, Gurman did not elaborate on the size of the next Mac Pro. Nevertheless, expect a smaller version of the cheese grater.
New chip titled M2 EXTREME
According to Gurman, the new Mac Pro will be armed with a super powerful chip titled M2 EXTREME, which is basically an M2 ULTRA. Also, a new iMac Pro is on the horizon, but there’re not many details about it yet. This is Gurman’s quote related to the Mac Pro and iMac Pro: “I think the Mac Pro will be announced at the end of the year, and release next year in 2023. Also there’s an iMac Pro at some point that is in active development and will be announced in 2023 or in 2024. I think they are going to call the chip in the Mac Pro the M2 EXTREME. It’s basically an M2 ULTRA, just like the M1 ULTRA but with M2 variation. Apple might announce this in summer 2023”.
Summary of next Apple products
Although we focus on Apple’s high-end products that are needed for intensive post-production workflow, here’s the general list of Apple’s future releases (quoted from the Power-On newsletter):
- Four iPhone 14 models
- A new Apple Watch SE, Apple Watch Series 8, and high-end “Pro” Apple Watch
- An updated HomePod
- A new Apple TV
- Updated iPad Pro models with an M2 chip and a new low-end iPad with a USB-C port
- The revamped Mac Pro with an M2-based chip
- The long-anticipated mixed-reality headset
- A larger, 15-inch MacBook Air
- New M2 and M2 Pro Mac minis
- Upgraded AirPods Pro earbuds
- New 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pros with M2 Pro and M2 Max chips
Final thoughts
It sounds that the next Apple Silicon Mac Pro will be a fascinating machine. That will be the most powerful desktop computer to date. It will be interesting to know the price and the size compared to the current Mac Pro. We expect a reduction in price and an elevation in performance when compared to the current Mac Pro. The question is whether Apple kills the Intel version or keeps it. However, on second thought, who would want Mac Pro Intel-based, when he has the more compact, affordable, and powerful option thanks to the M2 EXTREME chip?
Watch the full interview below:
Let current size remain on Mac Pro. We know av how it was when they launched the Trash can after old cheese greater. Apple leaving Intel only makes them more closed to the world.