The transition from Intel to Apple Silicon was not completed on schedule: the Cupertino company, Mark Gurman of Bloomberg reminds us, had planned the conclusion of the switch in two years since the launch of the first M1 specimen in November 2020. The reason behind this delay is not entirely clear, although one can hypothesize problems along the supply chain and slowdowns due first to the pandemic and then to the economic crisis. However, it remains that at the moment the offer Apple still expects a Mac Pro with an Intel heartas well as the top version of the Mac Mini.
To tell the truth, a Mac Pro with Apple Silicon was already in the company’s plans, but various situations have changed over time and the project has not yet been concluded. Gurman provides interesting details on this unprecedented high-end Apple product, revealing that initially there should have been two versions:
- one with 2x M1 Max performance chips – basically M1 Ultra, i.e. 2 M1 Max chips with UltraFusion
- one with 4x M1 Max performance chip
…then changed to
- one with M2 Ultra: CPU up to 24 cores, GPU up to 76 cores, up to 192GB of memory
- one with 2x M2 Ultra, i.e. M2 Extreme: CPU up to 48 cores, GPU up to 152 cores
Well, of the two variants it seems there is only one left, that is the first. Apple would in fact have decided to set aside the more advanced version equipped with the M2 Extreme chip due to the high design costs and for the lack of appeal that such a product could have on the public. A Mac Pro of this kind would in fact be reserved for a very limited niche of users – photographers, programmers – and Apple would risk not getting back on the investment. Bloomberg assumes a selling price not far from $10,000 – starting price ed -, a figure that few would be willing to pay.
So here’s what could come in the next few months:
- Mac Pro with next generation M2 Ultra chip with the possibility of customization (RAM, storage)
- Mac Mini M2 and M2 Pro
- MacBook Pro 14 and 16″ with M2 Pro and M2 Max
- Next generation Pro Display XDR with integrated Apple Silicon
Mark Gurman then specifies that the production of Mac Pro will take place outside the United States: the candidate country should be the Vietnam.
