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Apple Announces Powerful 'Mac Studio' With M1 Ultra Chip and Companion 'Studio Display'

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Apple today at its "Peek Performance" event announced a new Mac Studio desktop computer with a companion Studio Display monitor.

mac-studio-and-studio-display.jpeg

With a 3.7-inch tall enclosure, the Mac Studio looks like a larger Mac mini, but it is far more powerful. The computer can be configured with the same M1 Max chip as found in the 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro or the just-announced M1 Ultra chip, which features a 20-core CPU, up to a 64-core GPU, and a 32-core Neural Engine. The computer can be configured with up to 8TB of SSD storage and up to 128GB of unified memory.

On the back of the Mac Studio, connectivity options include four Thunderbolt 4 ports, two USB-A ports, one HDMI port, one 10-Gigabit Ethernet port, and a 3.5mm headphone jack with support for high-impedance headphones. On the front, there is an SD card slot (UHS-II), along with two USB-C ports for M1 Max configurations or two Thunderbolt 4 ports for M1 Ultra configurations. The computer supports Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.0.

Apple says the Mac Studio remains "incredibly quiet" under the "heaviest workloads," with over 4,000 perforations on the back and bottom of the computer's enclosure guiding air through the internal components to help cool the high-performance M1 Ultra chip.

Key features of the Studio Display include a 27-inch screen size, a slim all-aluminum enclosure, 5K resolution, up to 600 nits of brightness, support for the P3 wide color gamut and over one billion colors, a built-in stand that allows the user to tilt the display up to 30 degrees, an A13 Bionic chip that powers advanced camera and audio features, a 12-megapixel Ultra Wide camera with Center Stage, a six-speaker sound system, and more.

Studio Display has three USB-C ports and a Thunderbolt 4 port that delivers 96W of pass-through power to charge a connected MacBook Air or MacBook Pro.

Customers can order the Mac Studio and Studio Display starting today through Apple's online store, with availability starting March 18. In the U.S., pricing starts at $1,999 for the Mac Studio with M1 Max and at $3,999 with M1 Ultra. The Studio Display is priced at $1,599 with a tilt-adjustable stand and at $1,999 with a tilt- and height-adjustable stand.


"We couldn't be more excited to introduce an entirely new Mac desktop and display with Mac Studio and Studio Display," said Greg Joswiak, Apple's senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing. "Mac Studio ushers in a new era for the desktop with unbelievable performance powered by M1 Max and M1 Ultra, an array of connectivity, and a compact design that puts everything users need within easy reach."

Article Link: Apple Announces Powerful 'Mac Studio' With M1 Ultra Chip and Companion 'Studio Display'
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/2022/03/08/apple-announces-powerful-mac-studio-with-companion-studio-display/
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cnnyy20p said:
I don't think they will release new iMac Pro. These pair is an iMac Pro.
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I think they will launch it at WWDC, since we do have that 27" MiniLED ProMotion display coming.

But I now expect it's going to be M1 Max and M1 Ultra only and will likely start around $4000 and go up from there.
 
Yeah I do not see a Mac mini Pro coming now. Just the new form factor with M2.

As for iMac Pro, I still believe it will happen since there is a 27" ProMotion MiniLED 5K display coming and that would make sense for the iMac Pro.

But I also expect the iMac Pro to have a significant cooling system and only support M1 Max and M1 Ultra and have a starting price likely around $4000.
 
Felt like drooling for much of showing off the Mac Studio during the Event. But then they announced the prices and I said "Yikes!" But even with that, looks like my next desktop I'm buying this summer (to replace my 2012 quad-core i7 Mac Mini) with be a Mac Studio with the M1 Max chip, configured with a 1 TB SSD. It'll cost me around $2200, but given that I was able to save up for my M1 MacBook Air in just a few months from working at my computer tech job, it shouldn't be too difficult; I just need to watch more what I spend. But I'll probably use the Mac Studio with my 27" Apple Thunderbolt Display. I might not even need to use my CalDigit TS-3 Plus dock with it, since the Studio will give me four Thunderbolt 4 ports, built-in GigaBit Ethernet, two USB-A ports, even a built-in SD card slot!
 
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I needed a new Mac and purchased the M1 Mac Mini with 1TB SSD and 16GB ram a little less than a year ago. The Mac Studio with the low-end M1 Max includes 32GB of ram and $200 extra to upgrade the SSD to 1TB. That’s a bargain IMO and is absolutely what I would go with if I were buying something today. Few people are going to need the M1 Ultra and more than 32GB of ram. This is Apple’s sweet spot for desktops IMO.
 
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dandeco said:
Felt like drooling for much of showing off the Mac Studio during the Event. But then they announced the prices and I said "Yikes!" But even with that, looks like my next desktop I'm buying this summer (to replace my 2012 quad-core i7 Mac Mini) with be a Mac Studio with the M1 Max chip, configured with a 1 TB SSD. It'll cost me around $2200, but given that I was able to save up for my M1 MacBook Air in just a few months from working at my computer tech job, it shouldn't be too difficult; I just need to watch more what I spend. But I'll probably use the Mac Studio with my 27" Apple Thunderbolt Display. I might not even need to use my CalDigit TS-3 Plus dock with it, since the Studio will give me four Thunderbolt 4 ports, built-in GigaBit Ethernet, two USB-A ports, even a built-in SD card slot!
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The M1 Mac Mini I bought for $1099 is the best computer I’ve ever owned. I‘m an app develop and do a fair amount of audio work in Logic Pro and have not run into a single problem under loads that challenged my 2015 MacBook Pro. I’m starting to get back into video editing and it’s perfect for the relatively simple kind of work I’m doing at the moment. It’s tempting to want the newest and best, but the M1 is a great chip that can handle all of what an average user would want.
 
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MacCheetah3 said:
The Mac Studio is a Mac mini Pro — essentially.

On a related note, I wonder if Apple is keeping the Intel Mac mini around simply to unload stock.
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There are companies that use Intel Mac Minis as rack mounted servers. My guess is they are keeping them around for specific use cases like these. I’m sure at some point they’ll switch over but are giving companies time to prepare.
 
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I can not believe those who are complaining about the price of the Studio. $6,000 for all that performance is a bargain.

Back in 1988 when I started doing serious CAD work on military hospitals, I bought the first 486 computer released. It was a 486-25mhz, with a Rendition hi res graphics card, special hard drive and controller, and a 20" Monitor. It cost me $10,000, which adjusted for inflation is $23,765 in todays dollars. Intel released the 50mhz version of the 486, so I upgraded to that for $500. I needed every ounce of performance to handle the big composite floor plans I produced.

When you are in business, you buy the machinery necessary to do the job most efficiently.
 
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Was gonna purchase a 14 or 16” mbp, but I’m leaning towards this instead. I do almost all editing at home and this seems like a no-brainer, especially at this price point, compared to the MacBooks.
 
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FINALLY! FINALLY! Apple has listened to the vast majority of 'creatives' who don't have full-scale studios shelling out for their equipment. I'm confident the MacPro is (was) perfect for large production houses, but most of the small companies juggling 3-5 minute videos, audio work, digital asset design + print projects couldn't justify $12K for each production station.

When Apple announced the MacPro in 2019 we all just sat stunned, shook our heads, and went back to work. No one even logged onto the Apple website to play with spec'ing one out.

Ordered the first Mac Studio/Display combo as soon as the store came back online today. And once we do some testing we'll replace all of the Mac minis and MacPros.
 
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MacCheetah3 said:
The Mac Studio is a Mac mini Pro — essentially.

On a related note, I wonder if Apple is keeping the Intel Mac mini around simply to unload stock.
Click to expand...
I also find it surprising to see they kept the Intel Mac mini. I suppose the M2 will support 64GB RAM and four Thunderbolt ports, so the M2 Mac mini will be able to fully replace the Mac mini.
 
The Ultra does have a "ooompf" price-tag... it literally is double the Max...

I personally like the 10 Core CPU / 32 Core GPU Max in the Mac Studio, seems pretty affordable. Especially if you already have a monitor you want to keep using.

But couldn't they have added a Mac Studio Pro to the lineup to keep prices together with the new Studio Display similar to the old 27" iMac..?
The gap between 24' iMac M1 and Mac Studio M1 Max is quite large IMHO.
 
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The Studio is very intriguing. It might be in my future once some of my software packages are updated to use apple silicon. The problem is so few of the things out there (aside form some select stuff outside of Apple) makes use of the GPUs and ML cores. If you're not all day in one of those few apps environments there's not a lot to be gained.
 
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AlexisV said:
$2000?! The price of 2 Mac Minis and exactly the same 512Gb storage?!

And then $1500 for the screen?

Appl can f right off.

You can't even get a 27" iMac anymore - the equivalent today with a Mac Mini costs $2200. $400 more than it used to.
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Mac Mini with M1, 16GB RAM, and 1TB SSD $1299

Macbook pro upgrade prices: M1 Max $500, 32GB RAM $400 ($900 total)

Mac Studio with M1 Max, 32GB RAM, and 1TB SSD $2199

$2199 - $1299 = $900

Seems like normal/fair upgrade pricing. What is missing is the Mac Studio with M1 Pro at $1499-1699
 
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