M2 Extreme Mac Pro due in 2023, MacBook Pro still in 2022
Following the iPhone and iPad launches, attention has tuned to Apple's impending Mac updates, but while MacBook Pro updates are expected soon, a report claims a Mac Pro refresh is still being worked on for a 2023 release.
The new Mac Pro could be smaller than the last Intel one.
Apple has already covered most of its main products as part of its fall launches, with the Mac segment yet to see changes. As speculation mounts about Apple's Mac updates, it seems that at least one product will arrive in 2023, instead of in 2022.
According to Mark Gurman's "Power On" newsletter for Bloomberg, Apple is preparing its Apple Silicon Mac Pro to replace the last Intel Mac in the catalog. Even with an increase of internal testing, it is reckoned that the model will not be out in time for 2022, but will be a 2023 launch instead.
The New Mac Pro will apparently have chips twice to four times more powerful than the still-unreleased M2 Max, which could be called the M2 Ultra and M2 Extreme, as hinted at in July. The chips could offer 24 or 48 CPU cores, as well as 76 to 152 graphics cores, and could sport as much as 256GB of memory.
Gurman says one configuration being tested consists of a 24-core CPU with 16 performance cores and 8 efficiency cores, as well as 76 graphics cores and 192GB of memory.
On a more short-term basis, Gurman also offers that the 14-inch MacBook Pro and 16-inch MacBook Pro are still on to launch "within the coming months," probably within 2022. Options will include the M2 Pro and M2 Max, with the latter thought to have 12 cores including 8 performance and 4 efficiency cores, as well as 38 graphics cores and up to 64GB of memory.
The Mac mini is also not forgotten about, with it thought to include the M2 chip. Though Apple has reportedly tested an M2 Pro version, Gurman doesn't offer whether Apple will actually move forward with the model.
The New Mac mini is also rumored to have a design overhaul, including a thinner aluminum chassis with a plexiglass-like top cover, and two rubber feet.
Read on AppleInsider
The new Mac Pro could be smaller than the last Intel one.
Apple has already covered most of its main products as part of its fall launches, with the Mac segment yet to see changes. As speculation mounts about Apple's Mac updates, it seems that at least one product will arrive in 2023, instead of in 2022.
According to Mark Gurman's "Power On" newsletter for Bloomberg, Apple is preparing its Apple Silicon Mac Pro to replace the last Intel Mac in the catalog. Even with an increase of internal testing, it is reckoned that the model will not be out in time for 2022, but will be a 2023 launch instead.
The New Mac Pro will apparently have chips twice to four times more powerful than the still-unreleased M2 Max, which could be called the M2 Ultra and M2 Extreme, as hinted at in July. The chips could offer 24 or 48 CPU cores, as well as 76 to 152 graphics cores, and could sport as much as 256GB of memory.
Gurman says one configuration being tested consists of a 24-core CPU with 16 performance cores and 8 efficiency cores, as well as 76 graphics cores and 192GB of memory.
On a more short-term basis, Gurman also offers that the 14-inch MacBook Pro and 16-inch MacBook Pro are still on to launch "within the coming months," probably within 2022. Options will include the M2 Pro and M2 Max, with the latter thought to have 12 cores including 8 performance and 4 efficiency cores, as well as 38 graphics cores and up to 64GB of memory.
The Mac mini is also not forgotten about, with it thought to include the M2 chip. Though Apple has reportedly tested an M2 Pro version, Gurman doesn't offer whether Apple will actually move forward with the model.
The New Mac mini is also rumored to have a design overhaul, including a thinner aluminum chassis with a plexiglass-like top cover, and two rubber feet.
Read on AppleInsider
Comments
Apple wouldn't need volume production of 3nm/M3, and TSMC started 3nm production in September.
What holds it back is that it only sells something like 100k units a year. They aren’t going to devote a lot of resources to updating it, it is not going to have schedule pressure to update it, etc.
The technological challenge for the Mac Pro is probably the silicon bridges and the PCIe IO. The core chip is just the M2 Max CPU, which goes into the MBP. The rest is bridging 2 to 4 of them together in manner where they don’t lose too much performance, and having enough PCIe IO.
I just hope they continue to offer 8 PCIe slots. Just modify a 2019 Mac Pro box like they did the initial M1 round. They don't need to do anything fancy with the box. The biggest issue they have to work is the poor performance scaling with GPU cores, and putting in more CPUs and GPUs in the box than the native one. The Ultra really should have GB5 Metal scores around 120k to 140k. It scores 90k. That is very poor scaling. Improving GPU core count performance scaling could buy them 20% to 40% performance improvement without expending too much power or cores. Adding more cores and improving the scaling efficiency could make for a nice 40% to 80% performance improvement at each power tier.
While 172 cores wouldn't quite reach high-end PC workstations, it would still make for a very fast Mac. This would be 50-60TFLOPs. A 4090 is around 80TFLOPs and a 4090ti around 95TFLOPs. Being within 50% of the highest-end competing GPUs is good enough IMO.
For marketing purposes, it would be nice to be able to claim the first 100TFLOPs GPU. An overclocked 4090 can reach this. This would need 320+ cores i.e quad Ultras instead of dual Ultras (around $17k+). I don't think the market is enough to justify it any more. It's worthwhile in some markets but it means designing a whole machine around this small use-case.
Dual Ultras can be done much more easily and 172 cores is likely based on M2 (N5P), 25% more cores than M1.
M1 (8-core) -> M2 (10-core)
M1 Pro (16-core) -> M2 Pro (20-core)
M1 Max (32-core) -> M2 Max (40-core)
M1 Ultra (64-core) -> M2 Ultra (80-core)
M2 Extreme (160-core)
M3 allows for 70% increase in density over this (272-core).
I think most Mac Pro buyers would be happy with 172-core GPUs for under $10k.
There does seem to be something off in some scenarios. In the Blender Metal addition they have been making adjustments to make better use of the cache and getting a 15% gain. Hopefully they are finding where the software isn't scaling well and either fixing it in the drivers or different hardware design. M2 real-world performance jumped 40-100% vs M1 in some cases so it seems like they are fixing things beyond raw hardware.
I suspect the real challenge wouldn't be the cooler. The M1 Ultra is HUGE. Putting a whole other M1 Ultra next to it probably isn't possible in the Mac Studio enclosure.
The issue is whether Apple is willing. They may think that there isn't a market for such a machine. Arguably, such a machine could part of a network Mac (cloud) offering, so there may be a market for it. Server hardware is a race to the bottom, and this market has no interest in Apple's intangibles. But, if there is a market for ARM macOS VMs, then perhaps. A desktop workstation version of the same hardware would then be for certain engineering and content creation customers who can take advantage of the hardware.
The PC market is absolutely willing to expend more power. All the current gen and next x86 CPUs and GPUs have higher power consumption and will have ever higher power consumption.
So following that lead Apple now could simply stop the manufacturing and sale of Intel based Macs and declare 'mission accomplished'. Obviously that would just happen (no press release about dead products). ... and personally I think the Pro desktops are the 'xServers' of this transition. Maybe they'll disappear as well in the next few years.