August 7, 2006: Apple unleashes the first Mac Pro, a high-end desktop computer that completes the company’s transition from PowerPC to Intel processors.
Built for computation-heavy tasks like 3D rendering and professional audio and video editing, the quad-core, 64-bit Mac Pro serves as a replacement for the Power Mac G5 (from which it borrows its aluminum “cheese grater” design).
An anonymous tipster has bad news for the Mac Pro: Apple apparently has no plans to keep working on the scrapped chip that would have doubled the machine’s power. Development on Apple silicon is reportedly set all the way through the M5 generation.
There’s a beacon of hope, though. Multi-die packaging — technology being developed that could see the light of day around the M8 chip — eventually might give the Mac Pro the power it deserves. However, at Apple’s current pace, that’s at least six years away.
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Apple’s latest Macs are powerful and versatile. So much so that some people wonder if anybody will want the top-of-the-line Mac Pro desktop, even with its new M2 Ultra chip.
A new report found an audience for the top desktop lacking, given the capabilities of Mac Studio and MacBook Pro. But others suggest Mac Pro is here to stay.
This week on Cult of Mac’s podcast: The M2 Ultra chip gives the new Mac Studio and Mac Pro incredible powers, the first benchmarks show. And the new 15-inch MacBook Air doesn’t look too shabby, either. In fact, it seems like the ultimate Mac laptop for most people.
Also on The CultCast:
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.
The 2023 Mac Pro starts at $7,000, while a similarly configured 2023 Mac Studio is $4,000. The potential savings has people questioning whether they really need the Pro to get the job done.
Let’s compare these professional-grade desktops to see how they stack up. You might be surprised at how similar they are, given how very different the two designs are.
The just-launched 2023 Mac Pro lacks features considered critical for workstations: upgradable RAM and support for eGPUs. But this isn’t Apple blindly making an error — it’s an inescapable fact of the M-series’ unified memory architecture.
The limitation isn’t new: it’s been known since the M1 processor was announced. But Tuesday’s release of a top-tier macOS workstation shines a spotlight on the problem.
For those who weren’t paying attention back in 2020, here’s an explanation of why RAM upgrades and plug-in GPU aren’t an option for the 2023 Mac Pro.
Apple’s 2023 Mac Studio, Mac Pro and 15-inch MacBook Air are now reaching customers. Announced at WWDC23 last week, the new Macs went up for preorder soon after.
Customers who placed their orders early have already started receiving Apple’s latest Macs. If you didn’t place your order already, you can currently grab one with a $50 discount!
The first 15-inch MacBook Air was a highlight of WWDC23, but it was a bit overshadowed by other announcements. Perhaps that’s why Apple still has units ready to be preordered for pickup on launch day, June 13.
The same is true for the upgraded Mac Studio with M2 Pro or M2 Ultra processors. And the first Mac Pro with Apple silicon is also sold out on launch day.
Benchmark scores of Apple’s M2 Ultra indicate the new chip runs up to 20% faster than its predecessor, the M1 Ultra. And the comparison between the latest chip and the Intel processor in the 2019 Mac Pro proves even more dramatic.
You can configure the 2023 Mac Studio, which Apple unveiled during the WWDC23 keynote, with the M2 Ultra. And this bruiser of a chip is the only option you get when buying the new 2023 Mac Pro.
