Meh, it doesn't outperform the M4 by much. And the M4 isn't compatible with the connected architecture that creates the Ultra. I'll pass.
Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
iOS 18 Leak Reveals Apple Tested MacBook Pros With M3 Ultra Chip
- Thread starter MacRumors
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
It’s possible they were using chipsets from the current mbp models to test for a future 18” machine (the equiv of the old 17” models) with beefier cooling
for everyone discussing why it's not possible right now: it's likely being evaluated for a future product, and they're testing to see what hurdles they'd have to overcome, if it comes down to something they decide to offer. i wouldnt be surprised if this is only the first time we're hearing about it, but not actually the first time they tested an ultra in a MBP.
On single core it’s slightly worse, on multicore workloads (and on gpu) it absolutely outperforms, which is typical for high core count workstation and server chips across the industry
Well said. Much like those that cried about the discontinuation of the 17" MacBook. They made a big stink but in truth, sales of the 17" model were less than 1% of Apple laptops sold. No reason to keep around a product that sells so few units.
What people say and what they do is two different things. Those who complain about the Mac Pro upgrades aren't going to buy a Mac Pro no matter what (unless they cut the price by 90%). They aren't the target market but they act like they are and are incredibly vocal about it.
Maybe I am not the typical user, but I use my notebook always plugged in. So the battery is just wasted space. A notebook should be portable, but just to carry it to another place easily, where you can plug it in again. My notebook is my desktop replacement. At home I use it with three displays and in a hotel one has to be enough. So I like the idea of putting the most powerful chips into a notebook.
As you stated, the cost is typically the thing. My post just above yours was my wish for an 18" MBP, but my reality is no more than $3499 for the base spec. If Apple priced it at $3999 or above, I'd be out. That's when the aspirational dream purchase slams head-on into financial reality.
It likely would have throttled constantly. Too much heat for the chassis. Folks forget that high end studio has like a 7 pound block of copper in it for heat dissipation
But 512GB of unified memory does a lot for people working in Gen AI.
Oddly an M3 Ultra would still use WAY less power than even the best engineered G5.
I'm thinking they could do it if they wanted to. Just that the heat would be the issue not so much powering it.
Literally they wouldn't have any competition in this space. But, the price.......
Yeah, but companies (many venture backed) will buy it for their key engineers.Literally they wouldn't have any competition in this space. But, the price.......
This is in a iOS build. Apple's Private Cloud Compute OS is baselined off of iOS (with some minimalistic macOS elements). 'd' is suggestive for desktop. Could also be suggestive for datacenter. The source code control system sucked in a minor , "internal" file into the iOS 18 mainline and 'leaked' out a configuration that was never going to be a product. [ The product code name prefix doesn't matter if it is never going to ship retail. It just needs a marker. If super-duper secret might give it an id that many folks might causually overlook. ]
Apple deploying M3 Ultra as private compute notes. Decent chance of being plausible . If Apple is using a semi-custom logic board they have probably stripped more sockets off the baseline Studio logic board to make it closer to the number of ports on a laptop. (although Ethernet (or two ) and possibly no Thunderbolt at all. )
But the ‘d’ could also mean literally anything else. Is there any other evidence of Apple using letters to denote specific SOCs in their code names? J514 and J516 seem specific to the Max chip which means the Laptops with the Pro chips had something different… it’s pretty big assumption to see something used on only one other product and assert it must mean the same thing on another.
PowerBook M5 Ultra.
Up next:
PowerMac M5 Ultra Max Cube
I love the word Power:
By the POWER of Grayskull!
OK Radio Power 95 (RIP)
It was that one or the "It has a lot of fans" one.
Though I see someone went to the trouble of making a luggable meme version at some point that looked more Mac Portable (but with the ports on the side).
If these existed people would still order the 14-inch version for some reason.
Imagine being able to use this laptop as an M3 max while unplugged then as an ultra when connected to power! Plus an option to run as an ultra on battery if you desire.
I'm still happy they didn't make it.
I'd want one..... 🤓
Who knows. Maybe an M4 Ultra. Special Edition model. Limited run just to see if there is any interest.
Works like an M4 Max on battery but plugged in,.... U L T R A!!!! Performance.
No one who has seen the size and weight of the Ultra's heatsink in the Studio believes this. Might as well call it the ThrottleBook Pro.
Apple's highest-end M3 Ultra chip is currently limited to the Mac Studio, but a new leak has revealed that Apple tested the chip in the MacBook Pro as well.
In a post today on the Chinese social media platform BiliBili, a user who we are not familiar with said that they found code references to unreleased 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models with the M3 Ultra chip, in an internal build of iOS 18 running on an iPhone 16 engineering prototype. Specifically, they said that they found J514d and J516d codenames in a file located in the /AppleInternal/Diags/Tests/ folder.
J514 and J516 are the codenames for the 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models with M3 Pro and M3 Max chips, which were introduced by Apple in October 2023. However, these particular codenames have a "d" suffix, which likely refers to an Ultra chip. For example, the Mac Studio with the M3 Ultra is codenamed J575d.
Apple has never released a MacBook Pro with an Ultra chip, so this is a noteworthy discovery.
Currently, the M3 Ultra is the fastest Mac chip that Apple has ever released. It features up to a 32-core CPU, up to an 80-core GPU, and support for up to 512GB of unified memory, so those could have been MacBook Pro specs in an alternate universe.
Instead, Apple updated the 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models with M4, M4 Pro, and M4 Max chip options in October last year. Apple most likely decided not to make the M3 Ultra chip available in the MacBook Pro, potentially due to greater thermal and battery life impacts for laptops compared to desktop computers.
With the M4 Max, the MacBook Pro can be configured with up to a 16-core CPU, up to a 40-core GPU, and up to 128GB of unified memory.
All in all, it appears that Apple at least considered MacBook Pro models with the M3 Ultra chip, but it is unlikely that they will ever be released.
Article Link: iOS 18 Leak Reveals Apple Tested MacBook Pros With M3 Ultra Chip
