There have been multiple reports that they are developing their own AI server chips — the hardware, not the software.
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Apple Confirms Mac Pro Is Dead, No Future Models Planned
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Would it be terribly difficult or expensive to add those components? It seems to me that Apple should offer more powerful chips than the Ultra series to address the needs of its pro users and to compete with the highest end chips from AMD. I would like to, one day, be able to run the ARM versions of Windows and Linux natively on the Mac hardware, as I have occasional need to use Windows-only software.
Are you suggesting that because things are rare, they should not exist? There are somethings that don't exist (yet).
This has always struck me as a funny way to say things. "Shouldn't exist."
Genuinely curious what PCIe cards were ever actually used in the Pro model. Obviously not graphics but were audio mixing or faster networking cards compatible? What were those slots even for?
Nothing short of Tim Cook eating a bowl of raspberries from the freshly polished skull of Steve Jobs will convince me that Apple is truly cares about the environment.
It's not about the cardboard boxes, guys. It's about eating raspberries out of the skull of the precious CEO.
Do it.
Audio stuff. And as an audio guy, we can get pretty weird.
What is that the HDX cards do that still can't be done with Carbon or third party products?
I hear you on the phone thing, I want the smallest possible phone with a Home button, hate Face ID. But I replaced my old cheese grater with a M1Max MBP four years ago, and it's been fine for me. But I don't run a multi-room facility, it's just me working from home.
I don't know, if you're talking about DSP cards like UAD, I feel that had its day but it's really ancient tech and doesn't offer any tangible advantages over native processing or -if you really must- the DSP on their Thunderbolt devices.
In setups where 100+ analog sources need to be fed to the computer with sample sync accuracy while playing back tons of real-time processing, HDX still offers some advantages, but that is a vanishingly small segment of the market.
From what I can see, ProTools has a legacy enterprise clientele, and they'll keep that market for a while, but nobody under thirty uses it, so I expect that to dwindle as their user base ages out. Ditto on the video side with Media Composer. They have the legacy market locked in and still dominate in multi-seat post-facilities, but that market is also shrinking.
Frankly, Avid is kind of like Microsoft in that sense. Without legacy enterprise customers, they'd be in trouble.
You are likely fine for a couple of years. Luckily, once the M7 is released in 2027, there will be be little need for a larger footprint machine, if rumors are to be believed, it will be a much bigger jump than the M6 or even the M5.
MacHeritage
macrumors 6502a
Well, I certainly wasn't expecting the GPU to be upgradable, since Apple said no AS Mac would at WWDC. They were going to have RAM upgradability, aside from what was on chip but they couldn't get the speed issue fixed.
The largest complaint I heard from the M2 was the lack of PCI lanes. I was hoping that the M5 Ultra would solve that but it looks like they were not going to solve anything. It takes at least two years to design a new computer, so Apple has known for a while this was canned. They ran into a major roadblock with development and didn't want to spend the money or they built it and canned it at the last minute, since it wasn't interesting enough or viable enough, just like Aperture.
Tdude96
macrumors 6502a
There were some complaints about fan noise in the M1 Studio. Some people had to exchange for new units that didn't have faulty fans. It doesn't seem to draw complaints anymore. I think the poster was operating on outdated information from the original release of the Studio or perhaps has heard a faulty unit. I've been hanging around the Studio forum since the M2 came out, and most people say the fans are quiet or inaudible. The few noise complaints now come from periodic mentions of "coil whine" and a couple saying faulty third-party SSDs caused a whining noise.
- Never heard any noise whatsoever from my M4 Max Studio.
- Mine is so quiet, I was wondering if the fan is still working. I have to put my hand behind it to feel the airflow to make sure that it does.
- Even when I know it's being pushed hard(ish), it remains completely silent and cool to the touch.
- Dead quiet and a joy to use. Love it!
- Silent, fast and does everything I need it to (including 3+ display support).
- I love it. It's small, powerful, and quiet.
- Nice and small footprint, silent, enough ports, great performance
- The studio is whisper silent regardless of what I do, and overall its lightening fast.
- Mine is absolutely silent. I've never heard the fans, even when going full tilt on compute.
- it's completely silent even under load, effortlessly fast
- I'm using a new Mac Studio and been wondering: does the cooling fan keep rotating 24/7 or does it eventually stop? I'm just curious. This beast is silent
- I haven't heard the fans come on at all.
- my Studio M4 Max’s fans are running at 1,000RPM (seemingly all the time) but you can’t tell by sitting next to it. Silent.
- its been a great computer that runs quiet and cool
Or on your MacBook Pro for a truly portable experience!
Or your Apple Car…. Wait 🤔
ddhhddhh2
macrumors 6502
My MP 5,1 is actually still in use, mostly cuz I’m too lazy to pull out my MBP at home. The MP’s hooked up to two monitors, and yeah, it’s still doing real work.
I can still run pretty much everything I need — latest Angular (tho npm gets kinda limited), latest Go stuff, py, Docker with OrbStack, VSCode, Warp, Postman, Godot (tho most of the time you gotta stick to CPU), and like… most of Adobe apps too.
but yeah, Xcode? nah… don’t even think about it.
Honestly, for getting work done, it’s totally fine. As long as your hardware is upgraded enough — which I mean, most MP 5,1 setups these days are already maxed out anyway.
But yeah, it’s not perfect. Since everything depends on OCLP, the OS is basically stuck. No surprise it’ll probably stay on Sequoia.
And tbh, Sequoia isn’t really ideal for it — it kinda makes your GPU feel even more outdated. Some apps get weird too.
Like Apple Music for me — I just can’t sync my library. You *can* try, but the moment it starts syncing, boom, it crashes.
That said, there’s always some workaround lol. And get this — I can literally AirDrop playlists from my phone or iPad to the MP 5,1. It’s kinda ridiculous but it works.
Anyway, seeing the Mac Pro getting discontinued… yeah, feels like the end of an era.
But honestly, I don’t think it just ended with the MP — it’s more like the whole desktop workstation line going all the way back from the Power Mac G3 era is finally done. (maybe even those older towers like the 9600… not sure if that counts tho)
I mean, everything has trade-offs, right. You lose some, you gain some.
MP… RIP.
The already discontinued the large screen iMac several years ago. 27" iMac --> Mac Studio.
The iMac that is left is lower priced so probably still eeks out enough volume to survive. If the Mini with exactly the same (or better with Mini Pro) didn't kill off the iMac by 2025 , then there is probably enough there to continue.
It isn't the premier desktop system though in terms of unit numbers though.
The iMac is too much like a laptop for Apple to completely kill it off. Guaranteed panel display sale. $1,299 for a iMac... $1,599 for just a Studio Display. For folks who only have $1,299 and only waht an Apple screen, it works.
More than one iMac screen size? Probably not. There is likely enough fratricide between Mini , Mini Pro , Studio and iMac. Doubtful they'd want more.
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If you have 5 , 5,000 , or 50,000 customers the number should not make any difference in doing "the right thing". Apple's standing corporate policy is that they generally strictly don't talk about future products. That makes being consistent in what you can talk about more important. If the 'right thing' when had 50,000 customers was to do a 'head up' then it is still the 'right thing' when you have 5.
Was Apple down to a couple of handful of companies and went to each individual one with an NDA and gave them a heads up months ago. Maybe. However, they still probably have shafted a handful of "smaller" players (e.g. sole proprietor LLC outfits that labeling as a 'company' is a bit of a misnomer. ) and hence just filled the "don't ever trust Apple" corp IT folks with more validation.
Rip van Winkle product management for a decade and then wonder why more folks don't buy the product. It is in part how you treated them. It isn't the "M2" technology being present that is the core problem.
Errr, nope. The M4 (even M3 Ultra ) has TBv5 and controllers on the chip. The 'all ports simultaneously' aspect might be incrementally different (depending upon what mean there), but wouldn't be a huge change.
The 'stacked together' so far as amounted to unfounded rumor comments with presumptions about SoIC being only vertical. It is not. TSMC's own examples have half being horizontal. Apples description of just two dies and the varying GPU core size isn't practical to stack on top of a CPU chiplet.
There stack just two CPU/GPU chips on top of each outher would be difficult. Going 3-4 deep isn't current deployable tech. Apple could mix-and-match some other packaging processes in addition to SoIC ( SoIC some chips and then stack on top of CoWoS .. but that second step would be horizontal. )
Unless the Neo replaces the iMac as the kiosk of choice, the iMac with the 24-inch screen and standard memory/storage options should be safe.
I am curious on when they will announce that they designed themselves into a thermal corner… m5 max draws up to 170 W, more than 2x the m1 max. double that for ultras.
Do you really think the studio can handle up to 400W without sounding like s jet?
Maybe it is simpler than that this time around: there will be no ultras. Why should it?
Apple is dropping pro level stuff all around. No 32” display, no mp, macos da-hoe . ..
Do you really think the studio can handle up to 400W without sounding like s jet?
Maybe it is simpler than that this time around: there will be no ultras. Why should it?
Apple is dropping pro level stuff all around. No 32” display, no mp, macos da-hoe . ..
uczcret
macrumors 6502
adib
macrumors 6502a
The "ultra pro" market moved to Nvidia's stack with custom software. A notable example includes Pixar with its proprietary Linux-based rendering software.
TheOldChevy
macrumors 6502a
That is an interesting question, but I would assume the boffins have thought of that? The word is the M6 MacBook Pro will have a new design, maybe that will be true for the Studio as well?