Apple May Not Launch Updated Mac Studio With M2 Ultra Chip Due to Similarity With Upcoming Mac Pro

A new version of the Mac Studio with the "M2 Ultra" chip is unlikely to arrive in the near future, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman.

mac studio pink
In the latest edition of his "Power On" newsletter, Gurman explained that since the upcoming Apple silicon Mac Pro is "very similar in functionality to the Mac Studio," Apple may wait until the release of M3- or M4-series chips to update the machine, or simply never refresh the device at all:

I wouldn't anticipate the introduction of a Mac Studio in the near future. The upcoming Mac Pro is very similar in functionality to the Mac Studio — and adds the M2 Ultra chip rather than the M1 Ultra. So it wouldn't make sense for Apple to offer an M2 Ultra Mac Studio and M2 Ultra Mac Pro at the same time. It's more likely that Apple either never updates the Mac Studio or holds off until the M3 or M4 generation. At that point, the company may be able to better differentiate the Mac Studio from the Mac Pro.

To date, little has been rumored about the next-generation Mac Studio, so Gurman's latest remarks are the firmest indication yet that a new version of the machine is unlikely to arrive any time soon.

Last month, it emerged that Apple reportedly scaled back its plans for the first Apple silicon Mac Pro, scrapping the "M2 Extreme" chip and falling back on non-user-upgradable memory and the same design as the 2019 model. The device is now expected to offer the M2 Ultra only – a chip that would also have logically come to the next-generation Mac Studio.

The M2 Ultra chip is almost certain to double-up the capabilities of the recently introduced M2 Max chip, which is currently only available in the 14- and 16-inch MacBook Pro. With reduced modularity and similar performance on the upcoming Mac Pro, Apple's move to hold off on updating the Mac Studio's hardware may make sense until it can work out a better strategy for the machine's positioning going forward.

Related Roundup: Mac Studio
Buyer's Guide: Mac Studio (Buy Now)
Related Forum: Mac Studio

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Top Rated Comments

MayaUser Avatar
28 months ago
kind of pathetic....from this point of view ofc it makes sense but Apple cannot make a strategic path for macs at least for 2 years ahead?!
Score: 43 Votes (Like | Disagree)
MayaUser Avatar
28 months ago
Apple, please instead of Mac Pro, just release a Mac Studio since its clear you dont have the knowledge what to do with the Mac Pro and instead release the bigger iMac with M2 pro/max since that will sell a lot better even than the 24" iMac
Score: 43 Votes (Like | Disagree)
TheYayAreaLiving ?️ Avatar
28 months ago
If that’s the case Apple should be releasing an updated iMac ?️.
Score: 38 Votes (Like | Disagree)
dantracht Avatar
28 months ago
So another Mac that will languish for years. Typical Apple. And it won’t lower in price either.
Score: 37 Votes (Like | Disagree)
4743913 Avatar
28 months ago

If that’s the case Apple should be releasing an updated iMac ?️.
I will never buy another iMac unless it has targeted display.. a monitor with only one input is a waste of space. My next Apple monitor will most likely be a Dell.
Score: 31 Votes (Like | Disagree)
sam_dean Avatar
28 months ago

If that’s the case Apple should be releasing an updated iMac ?️.
iMac 27" replacement that may have a 27", 30" or even 32" 6K display pls.
Score: 27 Votes (Like | Disagree)