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

[dysamoria]

I'm expecting zero throttling with those massive beefy fans.

Yeah. When benchmarks include no mention of throttling happening or not (and at what point), I refuse to believe in them.

I am curious about this computer (and the Mac Pro will probably remain ludicrously out of my price range), but I am still concerned about the thermal stresses. I am not interested in spending $5K on a computer that will start to fail due to thermals after five years... especially when the money I have available is for ONE big purchase for probably well over a decade. I can't replace stuff every three years like Apple wants.

I also have iOS devices to replace (iPhone 6s, iPad Pro original), PLUS the hardware that the current Mac OS will obsolete on me (like my audio interface)...

Oh, and the keyboard and trackpad are extras, too...

 

[gaximus]

The hardware is great. But anyone else feeling that the design is very underwhelming? It just looks like a grey PC now almost.MDesign looks fine to me, just a taller MacMini, but it should have come in at least space grey.

 

[CWallace]

I am curious about this computer (and the Mac Pro will probably remain ludicrously out of my price range), but I am still concerned about the thermal stresses. I am not interested in spending $5K on a computer that will start to fail due to thermals after five years... especially when the money I have available is for ONE big purchase for probably well over a decade. I can't replace stuff every three years like Apple wants.

We will have to wait for the iFixIt teardown to know the full details, but just from the video I have a feeling the Mac Studio might not be that difficult to partially disassemble to the point you could get access to the fans and other internals to perform a proper cleaning.

 

[dysamoria]

The hardware is great. But anyone else feeling that the design is very underwhelming? It just looks like a grey PC now almost.

I'm wondering if the edges on the Mac and studio display will be smooth, or if they're still going to be able to draw blood when accidentally dragging one's knuckles across them. My iMac 12,2 has caused bleeding scrapes many a time. I really love that ?

How about the current TouchID Keyboard and trackpad; are they sharp as hell on the edges?

I don't know why Apple makes stuff with literally dangerously sharp edges. Smart designer round off sharp corners for use BY HUMAN BEINGS.

 

[dysamoria]

We will have to wait for the iFixIt teardown to know the full details, but just from the video I have a feeling the Mac Studio might not be that difficult to partially disassemble to the point you could get access to the fans and other internals to perform a proper cleaning.

I really doubt it will be user-cleanable. I will hope to be wrong, but...

 

[jamesrick80]

Based on the majority of forum comments when the MacBook Pros released with SD and not CF, it sounds like the "target market" still appears to be predominately on SD at this time.

Wouldn't that be micro SD, who uses normal SD cards anymore but hey just use a SD adapter and buy a micro SD card.... problem solved.

 

[mox358]

The hardware is great. But anyone else feeling that the design is very underwhelming? It just looks like a grey PC now almost.

I'm torn. I don't think it looks bad, but it certainly isn't a work of art. However I'm glad they didn't A)design it weird and impossible to update (aka Trashcan Mac Pro) or make it look cool but so expensive it's impractical (aka current Mac Pro). For the market this aims for, which is creatives who need power, I think it fits the bill.

 

[zapmymac]

Was hoping to see BT 5.2, Wi-Fi 6e, 24/192 DAC, and SD UC support to round out the bleeding edge of tech.

Also, longer support for Mac OS in general, since these new Apple silicon macs ought to last even longer than than intel based macs.

Maybe for the m2 Mac mini.

 

[mielie]

The internals are incredible, the M1 Ultra is a beast and it’s really great to see Apple going no holes barred on the M1 architecture with a permanently powered machine. I’m sure you could put M1 Ultra in a portable computer but the trade off vs battery life just doesn’t make sense.

But… WTF has happened to Apples design department???? I cannot imagine a more unimaginative and uninspiring design. They have just vertically stretched the mini and made it into a large, bland and completely boring grey box.

The previous Mac Pro with the all black tubular design was much more creative and aesthetic to look at than this dreary lego block.

 

[familychoice]

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.

Me too - I bought the 16/500 version and agree, best computer I've owned. Fast, silent, cool as a cucumber, and works perfectly with a 4k 27" LG monitor I picked up for £300. External 1tb SSD for storage - sorted.

I bought it to replace a Dell desktop that cost around the same, and the Mini is now my main computer for web development/graphic design work. I also run a stack of VST's through Ableton on it when I'm not using it for work, and it handles them with no bother whatsoever.

The Studio looks great, but at twice the price I can't see anything it would give me that the M1 Mini doesn't - since I don't do any heavy video work and the Mini handles everything without getting into a sweat.

As long as the hardware keeps going (my only gripe is everything's soldered in and I can't boot from an external drive - but it'd be the same with the Studio) this should do me for a few years, and then I'd probably pick up the next Mini.

 

[Alwis]

As it seems, that the iMac will be discontinued the Studio will probably be replacing my current iMac 2020 in 2-4 years...

Can anyone assess, which configuration would deliver comparable Performance to my iMac 2020 with 10 Core i9 and Radeon Pro 5700XT?

I guess the 10 Core CPU will probably outperform the current Intel CPU, but which GPU configuration would I need?

I like the idea to have a separate screen, currently I have two old iMacs with perfectly working screens and I thin it is quite insane to throw away the screen just because I need a faster computer. I too like the build in power supply, much better than the external one of the 24" iMac.

I too think, that the design of the new Studio is quite boring, but I can live with that...

 

[JippaLippa]

Apple has abandoned the middle ground. Basically the only thing you can get a M1 Pro in is a MacBook Pro. So in the desktop configuration (iMac, Mini, or Studio), you can get the M1 or M1 Max or Ultra. Nothing with an M1 Pro.

Hopefully, that's coming later. Maybe they'll release a Mac Mini with the M1 Pro at WWDC? ?

Given how they didn't discontinue the 2018 Intel Mac Mini, I'm sure an M1 Pro configuration will come.
There'll probably be an M2, M1 Pro/Max option.
On the other hand Apple has been surprising us with many of its choices lately, so they might even end up doing "just" the M2 for the mac mini.
Dropping the iMac Pro was also a very bold decision from apple.

 

[lusty]

It's really nice to see that the design department have been demoted to just naming. It's been a long time coming but we're getting some great machines finally, even if they have ridiculous names and are Fugly. Let's hope that those people calm down on the naming nonsense and one of them is allowed to contribute to looks for the next gen. Not all of them, just enough to take out the ugly while leaving the ports!

 

[George Dawes]

I have to say the design is at best underwhelming and at worst downright hideous . I understand the apple mantra of less is more but the thing just looks incredibly boring , especially compared to the pro tower .

At least the mini has no pretensions , tbh looking at the thing I’d wait for an updated mini or iMac , I had such high hopes , a new g4 cube ? …and this …. No words

 

[ItchyRat2160]

Very disappointed to see the iMac 27" being discontinued and replaced with this kit, but I suspect that's happened to split up the screen and computer due to current prices. With the mention of the "just one more product to go: the Mac Pro" I think it's all but confirmed the "iMac Pro" isn't happening.

Interesting notes on the Apple website saying that the M1 Ultra is the "final member of the M1 family" so I'm not sure what a Mac Pro is going to consist of? Unless that's going to have the M2? Or a totally different chip class/family?:

I've been waiting for years to replace my 27" iMac but I've given in and will be getting the Mac Studio. I'm still reeling about the prices though as I've paid the same for the Mac Studio and Studio Display as I did for my BMW Z4 in 2013! Had to upgrade some of the spec as I'm planning on keeping this for 10 years at this price. I'm sure it's going to be a monster of a machine. Even if it is an ugly brick.

 

[robertosh]

I have mixed feelings now, I was waiting for a M1 MAX mini and now we have a new category of Macs. The numbers of the Ultra are crazy, as much as the price. Design is horrible, seems that they did not expend too much time on that. I wonder if this will be the typical device that that they release just because they don't have the Mac Pro ready. Seems that they just finish the M1 Ultra and create a box for it. I don't know if I want to expend that money on this kind of a transitional device (imho). M1 Max has more value but I would have prefer to have it on the smaller mini footprint, Studio looks too bulky too me, and M1 Max would have live perfectly fine on a Mini's enclosure.

 

[GalileoSeven]

I have mixed feelings now, I was waiting for a M1 MAX mini and now we have a new category of Macs. The numbers of the Ultra are crazy, as much as the price. Design is horrible, seems that they did not expend too much time on that. I wonder if this will be the typical device that that they release just because they don't have the Mac Pro ready. Seems that they just finish the M1 Ultra and create a box for it. I don't know if I want to expend that money on this kind of a transitional device (imho). M1 Max has more value but I would have prefer to have it on the smaller mini footprint, Studio looks too bulky too me, and M1 Max would have live perfectly fine on a Mini's enclosure.

I think that (bolded part) is exactly it (well that and they can also simplify their lineup a bit - kill two birds with one stone)

 

[WLSON]

M1 Max is now a very strange name, as it is not the max chip variant. They knew the Ultra was coming out, and now the Middle chip is called the Max chip.

Typical Apple under Tim Cook, I'd be surprised of the contrary, product line is needlessly muddled.

 

[WLSON]

I don't think they will release new iMac Pro. This with the studio display is an iMac Pro.

Probably, but it's silly. 27" iMac started at $1,799. Studio Display + Studio Mac starts from $3,599. That's exactly double.

You could pair the Studio Display with the base Mac mini ($699) and you're at $2,299. Still a $500 price increase over the 27" iMac ... and that's without keyboard and mouse.

The studio display should have been priced at $1000 not $1599, at that point it would've made sense because you could add a base Mac mini for $699 + keyboard and mouse ($200) and been at $1,899 which is a reasonable $100 increase over the outgoing 27" iMac.

 

[TJ82]

Is there any way to compare performance of the base Studio M1 Max to my 16 inch MBP?

 

[HDFan]

I'm planning on keeping this for 10 years at this price.

You are comfortable with going without OS updates for 5 years after the 5 year OS support period ends?

 

[Alwis]

You are comfortable with going without OS updates for 5 years after the 5 year OS support period ends?

My 2014 iMac gut updates up to Big Sure, which will probably get security updates until 2023, that would be 9 years. After that I will install Linux, as I have done with my more than 10 years old MacBook Pro, which I am still using from time to time.

 

[seclusion]

My 2017 iMac has pretty much covered the basis power wise for my music productions. However living in a dusty location, cleaning inside is a daunting task. My next task is to tear down again and remove the CPU/GPU and reseat them with new cpu goo as i have fan fluctuations constantly. The Mac Studio looks much easier to open up and clean. Looking forward to some music related benches of the ultra.

 

[ItchyRat2160]

You are comfortable with going without OS updates for 5 years after the 5 year OS support period ends?

Yes because even if your device can't update to the latest OS, they still push security patches for many years after. Also, 5 years isn't a hard and fast limit on device support... many Apple Macs older than 5 years old still get current OS support.

 

[BlckOctpus]

After Apple's trash bin, cheese grater and tupperware food storage container it's clear what will come next…

May I introduce Apple's vaccum cleaner inspired Mac Pro with a revolutionary vacuum-cleaner-cooling-system-hose + integrated wheels at no extra cost.