With half of the Mac product line upgraded to the M4 platform, Apple has focused on updating the Mac Studio and Pro.
Both of these computer designs are overdue for a refresh, but rumors suggest that M4 variants are still at least six months away.
During Apple’s recent M3 refresh, the company chose not to update the Mac Studio and Mac Pro with the M3 Ultra chip design, leaving them stuck with the M2 generation.
Image Credit – Apple
However, with the MacBook Air and MacBook Pro updates now completed, the Cupertino rumor mill indicates that significant improvements for both platforms are likely on the way in the latter half of 2025, with a preview expected during the WWDC keynote in June.
Image Credit – Apple
Last fall, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman stated that Apple will implement a “dramatic change” for both platforms.
The release of the M4 Mac Mini hints that Apple plans to continue enhancing macOS designs as the platforms become more integrated with Apple Intelligence, Cupertino’s version of artificial intelligence tools.
Image Credit – Apple
Some experts, however, question whether an update for the Mac Studio, now two generations behind, is likely.
Others argue that the Mac Pro is more likely to receive 3nm M4 Max and Ultra updates, with a redesign potentially adopting a smaller form factor similar to the Mac Mini.
Apple may merge the Studio and Pro platforms to simplify manufacturing and avoid cannibalizing the professional market.
At this stage, it’s all speculation. Both platforms cater to niche audiences, ranging from graphic design to video editing.
If Apple follows its historical update pattern, both may receive M4 Max and M4 Ultra options, featuring improvements in single-core and multi-core performance.
Image Credit – Apple
Looking back at previous generations and comparing them to the current 16-inch M4 MacBook Pro, Apple Insider believes that the Max and Ultra (basically two Max chips interconnected) will double the CPU and GPU cores, as well as the unified RAM and other components.
This could lead to an expansion of up to a 32-core CPU and an 80-core GPU, with neural engine cores potentially reaching 32 and up to 256GB of unified memory.
Given this, it’s reasonable to expect a benchmark improvement of at least 45-50% when these platforms compete with similarly spec’d chips, all of which have impressive performance levels.
There’s also a possibility that Apple skipped the M3 upgrade for these platforms because the design didn’t provide the expected level of interconnect performance.
As hardware development continues, the ultrafusion feature used to merge two Max chips might have been a temporary solution until Apple refines more powerful chips to meet user expectations.
Image Credit – Apple
Rumors also suggested that Apple was developing an M4 Extreme high-performance CPU intended to merge four Max chips for even greater performance benefits, particularly for Apple Intelligence. However, reports in December indicated that this concept had been canceled.
While speculation often gains traction during slow news cycles, one thing is certain: when and if new Mac Studio and Mac Pro designs arrive, only Tim Cook and his team know for sure.
What we can expect in 2025 is that something will come. However, it might be wise to hold off on any upgrades for now. So, keep your powder dry.
[source: Apple Insider]
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