Apple Developing 'Mac Studio,' Described as a Mac Mini and Mac Pro Hybrid

[Pezimak]

/ '

One could argue that the low-single-digit percentage of sales the Pro and mini account for is one of the reasons Apple takes so long to update them as they want to milk each generation for as long as they can to improve RoI. (The other being Intel's extended release cycles for the B-Series CPUs used in the mini and the Xeons in the Pro as they tend to be updated every other Generation.)

I don’t think they’ve taken long timescales to update the Mini, it was the first Mac to get Apple Silicon after all. It may not be redesigned very often but it does get internal upgrades about as regularly as the iMac does I think. The Pro yes but Apple will make the money back in its high RRP anyway.

 

[tubular]

Mac Pro Max

And if you do your work on one, you're a Mac Pro Max pro.
And if you do your work on one and your name is Max, you're a Mac Pro Max pro Max.

 

[ian87w]

Good move with the new branding. If they used Mac Pro, there will be backlashes from people wanting traditional towers (just like how the trach can Mac Pro got bahsed). So use a different name. Mac Studio. People will look at it differently as a new lineup.
G4 cube 2.0?

 

[tubular]

It may not be redesigned very often but it does get internal upgrades about as regularly as the iMac does I think.

I wish it were true but it's not. There was a really ugly four-year stretch from 2014 to 2018 where all they offered was the same dual-core model.

 

[Tagbert]

I swear it better not be a peek at future products.

Don’t tell me, SHOW me.

-whine over. Now SHOW ME THEM CASE COLORS! Woo HOOOOOOO!

That is exactly what “peek” means, so get ready

 

[grad]

The Cube is back ?

I wish it was. Until the new machine runs fanless and allows you to change CPU, RAM, GPU, and storage I will hold my breath.

 

[Boil]

I wish it were true but it's not. There was a really ugly four-year stretch from 2014 to 2018 where all they offered was the same dual-core model.

And now a nearly four year stretch since they updated the high-end 2018 Mac Pro...!

 

[Boil]

So it looks like it might be a Cube 2.0 or a taller Mac mini for the Mac Studio...?!?

Next workstation-class mac will be called Mac Studio

The dimension of the box is around G4 Cube, I test in office environment i doesn't hear any fan from that box, it really quiet. ps. this is the info i doesn't sure about because i dosen't see anything beside black cardboard box, it may be have only mobo or it have full hardware i doesn't see it...

forums.macrumors.com

 

[chetzar]

I'd really like to see the MacPro (full size) continue to use an Intel (or AMD) CPU. For desktop purposes, power consumption is typically not a concern. Having access to Windows and OS X on the same tower is more important than the power efficiency of Apple's chips.
I'm actually due for an upgrade to my desktop and would love to replace it with a Mac Pro (instead of having both a Mac and Windows desktop), but cannot justify a purchase if they won't be supported by the new OS-X in 2-3 years.

 

[amartinez1660]

No, this isn’t the minitower everyone’s been waiting for. Many have been waiting for something affordable with slots. I’m fairly certain this will be priced higher than those folks would be willing to pay and will have little, if any, internal expansion. It may not require $700 wheels or $300 feet, BUT it could very well start at $7K and go up from there.

No. I suspect you don't understand that companies, even those as large as Apple, do not have infinite resources. They march to a roadmap that was set up long ago based upon a set of criteria/goals and goals being met. It was stated that new M1-based computers would be released over a two year time span. Also...it appears you you are not aware the Mac Pro was targeted towards creative professionals with large budgets, rather than typical Apple consumers.

Thank you, exactly, that wasn’t the “most users computer Apple wanted to sell but just happened to recently realize that $30K (not true, the entry point was a fraction of that) was too much” for, erm, students, hobbyist and up or something? what’s troublesome is that the original comment is up there with tons of likes.

The “most users” computer is any of: MacBook Air (I find this one perfect portability wise, 16GB though for me at least), the equivalent iMac and/or the equivalent Mac Mini… so, definitely not a beefed Mac Pro with the heavy-duty wheels to be rolled around for hours a day on a film set where each camera used and/or the wiring work, sound/lighting, offline/online/previews/etc deliverables pipeline and others are orders of magnitude higher cost than said Mac Pro.

 

[snooksy83]

Macrumors ideal Mac:

Windows compatibility
AMD threadripper cpu
Dual 3090 gpu
Retails for $50 and a case of beer

I'll settle for AMD GPUs and AMD CPU with RAM expansion and 2x minimum PCIe slots. None of this hard soldered CPUs, RAM and only USB4. PCIe over Thunderbolt is limited in performance, not exactly pro.

 

[chetzar]

Thank you, exactly, that wasn’t the “most users computer Apple wanted to sell but just happened to recently realize that $30K (not true, the entry point was a fraction of that) was too much” for, erm, students, hobbyist and up or something? what’s troublesome is that the original comment is up there with tons of likes.

The “most users” computer is any of: MacBook Air (I find this one perfect portability wise, 16GB though for me at least), the equivalent iMac and/or the equivalent Mac Mini… so, definitely not a beefed Mac Pro with the heavy-duty wheels to be rolled around for hours a day on a film set where each camera used and/or the wiring work, sound/lighting, offline/online/previews/etc deliverables pipeline and others are orders of magnitude higher cost than said Mac Pro.

If you don't understand that people have been building PC's just as powerful as Mac Pro's since they came out, then you're missing the point. People want to have a high performing Mac desktop that is reasonably priced. The performance offered by the entry level Mac Pro is kind of embarrassing given current offerings from AMD/Intel on the CPU front. I doubt a desktop Apple CPU could trade blows with Threadripper CPU's.

The current Mac Pro, while having premium features, is priced at a heavy premium for the hardware and performance it offers. Particularly since Nvidia GPU's are still blacklisted for OS X.

 

[Unregistered 4U]

For most enterprise customers......life is controlled by enterprise rules and configs. I am the chief engineer in a fortune 500 finance corporation video facility, we are highly limited as to what computers can be used on the house network...they have to be ordered and configured by the IT department and require "exemptions" to have apps/builds out of spec. our editing facility (which is isolated from the house network) is an Avid based world with 750TB of server storage over 10gb/s optical fiber using HP Z8 workstations @ $26k each and some legacy 5,1 Mac that when purchased in 2011 were 12K each. Now ordering new 7,1 Mac Pros...looking like $23-27k each.

Yeah, and, as you indicate, most of those enterprise rules and configs define laptops, with the required standard security patches and software, as the standard deployment for systems that connect to their network. I’d doubt if there’s many (or any) Fortune 500 companies that have a majority deployment of desktops.

Desktops have their place, but those places where they are the best option are shrinking.

 

[Boil]

Mac Studio (as equipped US$5k)

• Dual M1 Max SoCs
• 20-core CPU (16P/4E)
• 64-core GPU
• 32-core Neural Engine
• 128GB LPDDR5 RAM
• 800GB/s UMA
• 1TB NVMe SSD
• Dual 10Gb Ethernet (RJ-45) ports
• WiFi 6 / Bluetooth 5.0
• (6) Thunderbolt 4/USB 4 (USB-C) ports
• (4) USB 3.1 Gen2 (USB-A) ports
• HDMI 2.0 port
• 3.5mm audio output jack (auto-switching high/low impedance)
• Space Gray

 

[Unregistered 4U]

If that were the case the Mac Pro and Mac Mini wouldn’t have existed through several iterations spanning several years now, this new Mac could fill a hole and boost those desktop sales.

It’s not a matter of “If that was the case”, it IS the case. Apple has communicated as much (and analysts have confirmed what Apple says here).

Daring Fireball: The Mac Pro Lives

daringfireball.net

• Overall, the split between notebooks and desktops in Mac sales is roughly 80/20. (Personally, I’m a little surprised desktops account for even 20 percent of sales. I would have guessed 85/15, and wouldn’t have been surprised to hear 90/10.)
• Even among pro users, notebooks are by far the most popular Macs. In second place are iMacs. The Mac Pro is third. Apple declined to describe the Mac Pro’s share of all Mac sales any more specifically than “a single-digit percent”, but my gut feeling is that the single digit is a lot closer to 1 than it is to 9.
• In the same article the main thing Apple says about the Mini is “The Mac Mini remains a product in our lineup”

 

[Unregistered 4U]

Isn't the IO determined by the SoC? So using the same M1 Max as the laptops, the same IO will apply wouldn't it?

Not sure, I don’t know if the three ports on the MBP are a limitation of the processor or not.

 

[amartinez1660]

I'll settle for AMD GPUs and AMD CPU with RAM expansion and 2x minimum PCIe slots. None of this hard soldered CPUs, RAM and only USB4. PCIe over Thunderbolt is limited in performance, not exactly pro.

Curious question, the last computer I made for myself were in the celerons then AMDs dual cores and core2duo era… how long an upgradeable computer can be expected to last nowadays before that extra 16GB stick of RAM down the years is of a faster speed or some other channel dual/triple something requiring a renewal of the whole set to be optimal? Or the new CPU having a different socket rendering the available slot obsolete requiring a new motherboard? Or the next graphics card being extra beefy (RTX 4090 for example) requiring a new PSU double the wattage or some special connections?

I know I’m outdated, but during those days it happened so much that we just wouldn’t upgrade an old one, we would just build a whole new completely and add the old ones to an ongoing slowly growing mini render farm (something that doesn’t make sense today for most with online farms available via over the cloud rendering).

 

[mjtomlin71]

If that were the case the Mac Pro and Mac Mini wouldn’t have existed through several iterations spanning several years now, this new Mac could fill a hole and boost those desktop sales.

Both of those exist to fill a niche.

Apple needs the Mac Pro to stay relevant in the professional A/V markets where they are still relatively successful (which is why there will be another Intel-based Pro - to support those who still need the expansion that ASi currently does not support).

And the Mac mini is Apple’s entry-level system, which was designed to allow people to enter the Mac platform with the minimum amount of cost.

The high volume of sales in the high margin laptop space, allows Apple to continue to develop and support these other niche systems.

And I wouldn’t get my hopes up on thinking this new ”Studio” Mac is going to be “affordable”. While it may not top out at $50k like the current Mac Pro (due to lack of options), it will probably start at $5k and approach $15-20k maxed out. It will be priced this high because it will probably out perform everything on the market for an A/V workflow.

A mini with an M1 Pro/Max will fill the hole you speak of, ranging in prices from $1,200 to $5k.

 

[Boil]

And I wouldn’t get my hopes up on thinking this new ”Studio” Mac is going to be “affordable”. While it may not top out at $50k like the current Mac Pro (due to lack of options), it will probably start at $5k and approach $15-20k maxed out.

A mini with an M1 Pro/Max will fill the hole you speak of, ranging in prices from $1,200 to $5k.

Base Mac Studio (US$2.5k)

• M1 Max SoC
• 10-core CPU (8P/2E)
• 24-core GPU
• 16-core Neural Engine
• 32GB LPDDR5 RAM
• 400GB/s UMA
• 512GB NVMe SSD
• Dual Gigabit Ethernet (RJ-45) ports
• WiFi 6 / Bluetooth 5.0
• (4) Thunderbolt 4/USB 4 (USB-C) ports
• (2) USB 3.1 Gen2 (USB-A) ports
• HDMI 2.0 port
• 3.5mm audio output jack (auto-switching high/low impedance)
• Space Gray

 

[richinaus]

Base Mac Studio (US$2k)

• M1 Max SoC
• 10-core CPU (8P/2E)
• 24-core GPU
• 16-core Neural Engine
• 32GB LPDDR5 RAM
• 400GB/s UMA
• 512GB NVMe SSD
• Dual Gigabit Ethernet (RJ-45) ports
• WiFi 6 / Bluetooth 5.0
• (4) Thunderbolt 4/USB 4 (USB-C) ports
• (2) USB 3.1 Gen2 (USB-A) ports
• HDMI 2.0 port
• 3.5mm audio output jack (auto-switching high/low impedance)
• Space Gray

View attachment 1968092

I will be all over this day 1. We have been talking about this for several months now.

I am more excited this week to have a cheeky peek at what they are up to than I have in a very long time.

 

[amartinez1660]

If you don't understand that people have been building PC's just as powerful as Mac Pro's since they came out, then you're missing the point. People want to have a high performing Mac desktop that is reasonably priced. The performance offered by the entry level Mac Pro is kind of embarrassing given current offerings from AMD/Intel on the CPU front. I doubt a desktop Apple CPU could trade blows with Threadripper CPU's.

The current Mac Pro, while having premium features, is priced at a heavy premium for the hardware and performance it offers. Particularly since Nvidia GPU's are still blacklisted for OS X.

It totally don’t disagree on that. I have built my own PCs before.

That changes nothing anyways, the Mac Pro still isn’t “most people” computer, for most of the people there’s a whole set of available price points with plenty of power, good support and warranty. For those very niche high profile profiles there’s the Mac Pro, most businesses just lease them and write them off.
And for the less niche but still niche, well, myself I settled on an iMac a year and a half ago as the main rig, took two weeks to arrive, plugged the single cable and off it went… I entertained the idea of building my own but didn’t want to dive into receiving piece A but not B and C needing a return with a warranty phone person not accepting it and a year later needing a new PSU because it broke. Got the iMac, worry free, never looked back… recently got an M1 Pro on the go, didn’t look back.

That said, yes, hopefully a new Mac for that 10%* of us in there it will be great but still not “most users”. Were it had been available I would have bought that one instead? Probably… the rest of the people I know around me would have still gotten their ongoing Mac Minis, Airs and against my fibers, iPad Pros.
*Don’t quote me on that number, pulled it out of nowhere-hunch-land.

——
I would advice when talking to some unknown person, say, on the streets or something to not start with “if you don’t understand”, sounds wrong I think.

 

[sharif44k]

Apple is working on a "Mac Studio" device that seems to be a cross between a Mac Pro and a Mac mini, according to a report from 9to5Mac that cites an unspecified source with knowledge of Apple's plans.

The device is "in addition" to the rumored Mac mini and Mac Pro, but primarily based on the Mac mini. It will feature "much more powerful hardware" and there are two versions in development. One machine will use the same M1 Max chip introduced in the 2021 MacBook Pro models, while the other will use an Apple silicon chip that's more powerful than the M1 Max.

Bloomberg's Mark Gurman has previously described a new version of the Mac Pro that will feature a smaller chassis to be sold alongside the larger-sized Mac Pro, and it sounds like the "Mac Studio" could be this smaller-sized Mac Pro.

Gurman has previously said that the smaller Mac Pro would have up to 40 CPU cores and up to 128 GPU cores.

The Mac Studio is known internally by the codename J375, and 9to5Mac says that while the naming could potentially change, it is aimed at professional users and will be sold alongside a 7K "Apple Studio Display" that Apple also has in the works.

There's no word on when the Mac Studio might see a launch, but prior rumors have suggested that it could be introduced sometime around WWDC before launching in the fall.

Article Link: Apple Developing 'Mac Studio,' Described as a Mac Mini and Mac Pro Hybrid

This could fill the gap for people who are “pro” but has a budget. Hopefully under a $3000 base model.

 

[mjtomlin71]

If you don't understand that people have been building PC's just as powerful as Mac Pro's since they came out, then you're missing the point. People want to have a high performing Mac desktop that is reasonably priced. The performance offered by the entry level Mac Pro is kind of embarrassing given current offerings from AMD/Intel on the CPU front. I doubt a desktop Apple CPU could trade blows with Threadripper CPU's.

The current Mac Pro, while having premium features, is priced at a heavy premium for the hardware and performance it offers. Particularly since Nvidia GPU's are still blacklisted for OS X.

Well you’re missing the point and market of the Mac Pro. These systems aren’t about CPU performance or GPU performance metrics. It doesn’t matter if there are more powerful PC’s, priced more reasonably, anyone who wants/needs a FinalCut workflow will buy the most powerful Mac available. Those are the people these systems are designed and built for. Apple doesn’t care about anything else. As soon as people understand this, they can STHU and move on.

You’ll be happy to know that these new “Studio” Macs are probably going to be much, much more performant than anything else, but not expandable in any way. And they will also be targeted at an A/V workflow and priced accordingly.

 

[svish]

Excited to see this new Mac Studio. Should also be cheaper than the Mac Pro

 

[Nermal]

Do you think it could incorporate a hot tub?

After all, if you look up J375, most hits are for Jacuzzis.

Circa 1994, Acorn (inventors of Arm) announced the Risc PC range of systems, which were made up of stackable "slices", each with a certain number of drive bays and expansion slots. You could customise the number of bays/slots your Risc PC had by adding slices, even after purchase.

Acorn presented a couple of joke slices: A pizza oven and a handbasin.