With the new Apple M2 chip, comes a considerable reset in the development cycle for Apple Silicon. Now that the Mac Pro, Mac Air, and even the iPad Pro are running on the next generation chip, Apple has set its sights towards just how much performance the chip can squeeze out.
“My belief is that the Mac Pro will be offered with options for 24 and 48 CPU cores and 76 and 152 graphics cores—along with up to 256 gigabytes of memory.
Image Credit – Apple
In fact, I can share one configuration of the Mac Pro in active testing within Apple: 24 CPU cores (16 performance and 8 efficiency cores), 76 graphics cores, and 192 gigabytes of memory.” – Mark Gurman, Bloomberg
Image Credit – Apple
Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman has learned that Apple is testing new M2 Ultra and Extreme chips on the Mac Pro Tower to find out.
Though the base models will be available in 8-core CPUs and 10-core GPUs, according to Gurman, the M2 Ultra and M2 Extreme will be two to four times faster than the M2 Max. Gurman doesn’t mention the next-gen Apple Studio, though.
Whatever is next in the pipeline, don’t look for the M2 Ultra and Extreme towers to show up before at least Q2 of 2023 or later. In the meantime, it is expected that the M2 Max will be released with what has become a moderate boost in Silicon performance.
That configuration will likely be featured in a new rumored Mac Mini and the iMac. The M2 Max will feature 12-core CPUs and 38-core GPUs, and another round of MacBook Pros.
At least that’s the hope. The latest M2 iPad Pro update really hasn’t gone over well, being the most minor upgrade in the entire 10-year history of the tablet’s development. Gurman notes that other tablets have been able to close the gap between the iOS variant and the Android and windows based variants.
Image Credit – Apple
The Pro iPad only works with the generation 1 Apple Pencil, hasn’t upgraded the retina display, and it has a modest increase in performance.
It doesn’t even support Apple’s Magic Keyboard Filio. In fact, with the same general dimensions as the 2018 model, one has to wonder if users are getting anything new other than support for the latest iPadOS.
Image Credit – Apple
But this piece is about the future, not the present. Or even the past. Apple still has several new models to release in the coming months, and it’s a good bet that faster M2 Max iMacs and higher-end Mac Pros are on deck to arrive for the holidays.
The company tends to release new platforms in November, so that tracks, and then again in January and Springtime. Gurman expects another MacBook Pro and MacMini in the offering, followed by an M2 iMac after that. So the earliest we’ll see a MacPro will be in the Spring, or perhaps for WWDC.
All of this is speculation, of course. But those with the inside track on what’s going on in Cupertino have been uncannily accurate the last few years, and Gurman is right up there with analyst Ming-Chi Quo when it comes to their prognostication.
Therefore, make upgrade plans accordingly.
[source: The Verge]
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