Mac Studio - page 3

Is it worth it to buy the new Mac Studio with an M3 Ultra or M4 Max? Apple’s latest desktop Macs are the most powerful ever — and that’s not hyperbole. And updates to the Mac Studio don’t come by too often.

If you have an old pro Mac with an Intel chip, it’s a no-brainer. It’s definitely time to move on — no matter which model you have. However, if you’re already on a Mac Studio, you may not need to update quite yet.

Is it worthwhile to upgrade? We have a guide below with helpful charts and a video to help you decide.

Early benchmarks for the Mac Studio with the M3 Ultra processor reveal that Apple’s new top-of-the-line chip brings a 30% performance increase over its predecessor.

The speed boost is even more dramatic over the original version of the Mac Studio from 2022.

Apple unveiled the M3 Ultra chip as an option in the new MacStudio desktop Wednesday. As the company’s most powerful silicon chip to date, it brings unprecedented performance to pro users with demanding workflows. The other option in the new desktop machine is the M4 Max chip, which is actually less powerful than the M3 Ultra.

“M3 Ultra is the pinnacle of our scalable system-on-a-chip architecture, aimed specifically at users who run the most heavily threaded and bandwidth-intensive applications,” said Johny Srouji, Apple’s senior vice president of Hardware Technologies.

“Thanks to its 32-core CPU, massive GPU, support for the most unified memory ever in a personal computer, Thunderbolt 5 connectivity, and industry-leading power efficiency, there’s no other chip like M3 Ultra,” he added.

The long wait for an upgraded Mac Studio finally ended. A version with an M4 Max processor and (surprise!) an M3 Ultra chip launched Wednesday.

“The new Mac Studio is the most powerful Mac we’ve ever made,” said John Ternus, Apple’s senior vice president of Hardware Engineering. “A complete game-changer for pros around the world — powering both home and pro studios — Mac Studio sits in a class of its own, offering a staggering amount of performance in a compact, quiet design that fits beautifully on your desk. With this new Mac Studio, we’re delivering even more extreme performance with M4 Max and M3 Ultra, support for half a terabyte of unified memory, up to 16TB of superfast storage, and Thunderbolt 5 connectivity. Mac Studio truly is the ultimate pro desktop.”

What does Apple have planned for the Mac in 2025? For the last couple of years, Apple’s been killing it with its desktop and laptop computers. The chips scream, the industrial design has never been better, and the Mac lineup is undoubtedly the best in Apple’s history. Just look at the amazing new Mac mini.

But can Apple keep up the pace next year?

This week on Cult of Mac’s podcast: An interesting new gadget called the Flexbar takes Apple’s doomed Touch Bar idea and runs with it. Instead of being fixed in place like on the MacBook Pro, this customizable OLED strip connects to Macs and PCs via USB-C.

It looks pretty cool! But can it succeed where the Touch Bar failed?

Also on The CultCast:

• Almost as surprising as the Touch Bar making a comeback: A company figured out how to offer aftermarket SSDs for the Mac Studio, at much more affordable prices than Apple’s upgrades. (OK, that last part’s not surprising.)
• The first M5-powered iPad Pros reportedly will arrive in the second half of next year. And it sounds like that crazy hybrid iPad/HomePod might become a reality in 2025, too.
• And finally, Erfon tells us all about a sweet aftermarket CarPlay display in a new “Under Review” segment.

Listen to this week’s episode of The CultCast in the Podcasts app or your favorite podcast app. (Be sure to subscribe and leave us a review if you like it!) Or watch the video live stream, embedded below.

Third-party accessory-maker Polysoft stepped in to make something Apple won’t: upgrade SSDs for the Mac Studio. These will allow owners of the powerful desktop to increase the storage capacity with relative ease, which is not possible now.

And the product raises the possibility that Mac mini SSD upgrades will launch at some point, too.

While some M4 Macs may arrive in the next week, Apple also gears up for a bigger expansion of its M4 chip rollout, including the M4 MacBook Air coming in early 2025, according to a new report. However, it may push back launch plans for the next Mac Studio desktop computer a few months into next year, amid other release plans next spring. Those include a redesigned iPhone SE and a new entry-level iPad (11th generation). If you’re curious about the Mac M4 lineup and its expected features, take a look at this in-depth coverage.

If you’re wondering when will iPhone SE 4 come out, speculation suggests a release could be just around the corner.

Don’t get your heart set on new Macs launching at WWDC24 next week. A generally reliable tipster predicts that that’ll be none unveiled at Apple’s developer conference.

And not just Macs. Supposedly the agenda includes no new hardware at all.

Some people don’t amp up the sound in their computer setups simply because they lack room for the speakers. So they just use their computer or monitor speakers. But what if somebody made tiny but powerful speakers that could fit almost anywhere? Somebody did — Gallo Acoustics Micro Speakers. And today’s Mac Studio setup uses them for rich sound.

When one commenter saw today’s Mac Studio workstation, they said “Setup so clean it looks AI generated. I like it.” Well, we also like the Mac Studio and custom PC setup, especially for its innovative use of a portable display alongside its main external display, which is a killer gaming monitor we’ve never seen before.

Whether you run a video production studio or you’re starting a hobby YouTube channel, you’ll want to make sure you have the best Mac for video editing. 

Video editing is a good stress test for any computer. Cutting together an epic two-hour video essay requires high-speed storage, a lot of memory, processing power and GPU power. Apple silicon delivers all this in spades. Apple’s chips also come with special built-in hardware for processing video — the Media Engine. 

These days, every Mac is capable of 4K video editing. The best Mac for you comes down to whether you want a desktop or a laptop — and the size of your budget. Keep reading or watch our latest video.

Mac Studio and Mac Pro models updated with an M3 Ultra processor that we expected to arrive soon reportedly have been canceled. Apparently, professional Mac users shouldn’t look out for new hardware with faster processors at WWDC24 in June. And the wait might actually stretch until next year’s WWDC25.

It seems Apple already moved on from its M3 series processors, so there are no new chips ready to go into these high-end desktops. However, if you’re interested in the M3 MacBook Pro, you can explore how it compares to other Macs in this in-depth Mac Studio vs. Mac Pro comparison.

Mac users won’t need to wait until 2025 for the Apple M4 processor, according to a reputable Apple tipster. The replacement for the current M3 will emphasize AI — and will start appearing in Macs this autumn.

A previous report said improvements in the upcoming Apple A18 iPhone processor, also launching this fall, will focus on artificial intelligence, too.

After Apple’s thunderous launch of the M3, M3 Pro and M3 Max chips a few months ago, these chips likely will roll out as spec bumps in the MacStudio, Mac Pro, and Mac mini later this year. Additionally, Apple enthusiasts are eager to see how the m3 ultra chip will further enhance Mac performance in upcoming releases.

An M4 MacBook Pro remains a possibility for this fall. (I suspect M4 will be the first “must-have” Mac upgrade for anyone still on an M1-series chip.)

You may not want to spend top dollar on a new Mac or iPad, but how about bargain-basement deals on older Apple gear? That’s what Amazon bargain site Woot! asks with its latest sale on 40 items.

As the site says: “Apple iMacs, MacBooks, and iPads: Whether you need a big-screen powerhouse, a portable productivity partner, or a tablet to rule them all, we’ve got the iDevices you crave.”

You’ve got a little over a week to shop a wide range of Apple computers, some rather old (and really cheap) and some not so long in the tooth. The sale ends at 10 p.m. Pacific on April 6. See some highlights below.

And if you’re in the market for new Apple accessories, Woot! also offers $3 off with promo code APPLEBITE (although that sale ends March 31.)

 Today’s M2 Ultra Mac Studio setup puts one of Apple’s most powerful desktop computers front and center, driving a pair of beautiful Studio Displays.

And while the user pointed out his machine packs only base specifications, that’s still a hell of a lot of computer for most people. And if you max it out, the thing is astonishing. Check out the options below.

Should your next Mac be a portable or a desktop? More than 90% of Macs sold are laptops, and it’s easy to see why — MacBooks are light while offering best-in-class performance and battery life. Still, the “iMac vs. MacBook” quandary remains.

In fact, there are some compelling reasons to stick to the iMac (or other desktop Macs like the Mac mini or Mac Studio). You save money and also wind up with a more reliable machine.

Check out our latest video or keep reading below to help you decide.

Sometimes a setup post on social media can express a common problem or disagreement quite well. Today’s Mac Studio and dual-Studio Display rig is pretty good example, showing the divide between users of Magic Mouse and one of its top competitors — Logitech MX Master 3 (and 3S) wireless mouse. So Magic Mouse vs. Logitech MX Master 3 is on.

Commenters split themselves into pro Magic Mouse and pro Logitech MX camps. And a bunch of them sought middle ground, finding things to like — or hate — about both mice.

If you’re going to make and manipulate music or other sound with your Mac setup, odds are you need a good audio interface. Today’s Mac Studio workstation relies on a Focusrite Scarlett 2i4 USB audio interface when the user makes YouTube videos, for example.

Check it out below, along with the rest of the setup’s gear.

MacBook Pro and MacBook Air combine to account for a staggering 90% of Apple’s Mac sales. That’s according to a new report Wednesday about best-selling Macs from Consumer Intelligence Research Partners (CIRP).

The laptops’ dominant popularity over desktop Macs has long been evident. But the new report showing 2023 data really puts an exclamation point on it.

Some people love peace and quiet. Others love mechanical keyboards. That clackety-clacking noise is the very sound of productivity, isn’t it? The feel of the keys. The way you can practically make a lifelong hobby out of customizing a “hot swappable” model with different keycaps, switches and more. Today’s Mac Studio and Studio Display setup relies on a Keychron K8 mechanical keyboard. 

The user swears by it, having chosen it over a couple of well-regarded Razer keebs. He’s still got the Razer wrist rest, though. 

When new Apple gear comes out, sometimes it pays to wait a bit and grab it when the iPhone giant and other sellers start offering refurbished versions of it. Today’s setup boasts a Mac Studio desktop computer and a Studio Display, both refurbished, and the user said he had a hard time telling they’re not actually new.

Satechi makes an awfully cool USB-C hub and stand for Mac mini that also suits Mac Studio perfectly. We’re surprised we don’t see that particular Satechi hub and stand more often in computer setups online.

But today’s Mac Studio rig with three big 4K displays makes perfect use of it. It greatly expands the machine’s capability and it blends right in like it’s not even there.

How many external displays would you consider ideal in your computer setup? Surprisingly, a lot of folks who assume it’s at least two end up regretting the idea. Today’s Mac Studio rig with triple 4K displays — three 32-inchers — sparked some debate on the matter.

That’s an awful lot of screen real estate that calls for a lot of head turning.