Two new Macs with M2 Max & M2 Ultra being tested ahead of WWDC

AppleInsiderAppleInsider
Posted:
in Future Apple Hardware edited May 2023
A last-minute rumor suggests Apple is testing the M2 Max and upcoming M2 Ultra processor in a pair of unannounced, high-end Macs before WWDC.

A Mac Studio update could be imminent
A Mac Studio update could be imminent

Just hours after rumors suggested "several" new Macs would launch at WWDC, more info has arrived to paint a clearer picture. If true, this Apple Event is set to be one of the most packed yet.

According to a report from Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, Apple is testing two unannounced high-end Macs with the M2 Max and M2 Ultra processors. The proximity of this rumor to WWDC suggests we could hear about the products and new processors during the event.

The report says Apple has labeled these two Mac models as Mac 14,13 and Mac 14,14. Since they use the M2 Max and M2 Ultra chipsets, they are considered high-end computers.

The M2 Max version being tested is identical to the chip found in the 16-inch MacBook Pro. It has a 12-core CPU, a 30-core GPU, and supports up to 96GB of RAM.

The M2 Ultra allegedly has a 24-core CPU, a 60-core GPU, and up to 192GB of RAM. Essentially, double the M2 Max.

A likely rumor

Mark Gurman has a strong history of accurate leaks, indicating his sources and his interpretations are usually close, if not spot on. This rumor coincides with many other rumors pointing to the inevitable M2 Ultra release, so we graded it a "Likely."

A Mac Studio refresh is overdue
A Mac Studio refresh is overdue

Apple's Mac Studio is the only Mac that runs an "Ultra" processor, the M1 Ultra, currently. Apple hasn't announced this high-end chipset and could reveal it during WWDC or soon after for a summer release.

Some speculation suggests these Macs could be the long-awaited Mac Pro. However, that likely won't be the case since rumors have shifted away from that product reveal to the Apple VR Headset and other products like a New MacBook Air.

Trade-ins allegedly start for the original Mac Studio on Monday -- further driving speculation of a refresh.

The WWDC keynote will be shown on Monday, June 5. All will be revealed, and if no high-end Macs appear there, they could still arrive soon after.

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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 29
    narwhalnarwhal Posts: 120member
    Pretty sure these are chip-bumped Mac Studio models.
    9secondkox2
  • Reply 2 of 29
    KT123KT123 Posts: 13member
    Apple knows very well that without the Trade-In program, most potential buyers would just wait for the M3 chips to be released by early 2024, hence the need for an incentive to buy with the Trade-In options.
    9secondkox2Mystakill
  • Reply 3 of 29
    mikethemartianmikethemartian Posts: 1,336member
    If they are going to be announced next week then the DVT testing should probably be complete.
  • Reply 4 of 29
    9secondkox29secondkox2 Posts: 2,743member
    M2 series Mac Studios. Pretty simple math. 

    Buying more time for a Mac Pto reinvention. 

    That’s great. 

    Trade-in program will help erase the specter of a bottlenecked m1 ultra. 

    Be interesting to see what the new ultra can do. 
  • Reply 5 of 29
    michelb76michelb76 Posts: 623member
    KT123 said:
    Apple knows very well that without the Trade-In program, most potential buyers would just wait for the M3 chips to be released by early 2024, hence the need for an incentive to buy with the Trade-In options.
    I'm curious to know how much you will get for your old Studio.
  • Reply 6 of 29
    DoctorQDoctorQ Posts: 51member
    michelb76 said:
    KT123 said:
    Apple knows very well that without the Trade-In program, most potential buyers would just wait for the M3 chips to be released by early 2024, hence the need for an incentive to buy with the Trade-In options.
    I'm curious to know how much you will get for your old Studio.
    How about refurbished ones, like mine?

  • Reply 7 of 29
    riclfriclf Posts: 15member
    These Studio boxes look like power houses. In fact, why do you suppose there will be a Mac Pro? What can it have that a Studio Ultra wouldn't... except personal expansions via expansion cards. And how many of us are doing that these days?
    KT123
  • Reply 8 of 29
    multimediamultimedia Posts: 1,035member
    Still dreamin’ ‘bout my USB-C Thunderbolt 4 3nm 2TB A17 iPhone 15 Ultra in September.  :p
    9secondkox2williamlondon
  • Reply 9 of 29
    chutzpahchutzpah Posts: 392member
    riclf said:
    These Studio boxes look like power houses. In fact, why do you suppose there will be a Mac Pro? What can it have that a Studio Ultra wouldn't... except personal expansions via expansion cards. And how many of us are doing that these days?
    More RAM.
    Discrete graphics.
    Expandability.
    The obvious stuff that Mac Pros have always been sold on, though often failed to live up to.
    9secondkox2williamlondonMystakill
  • Reply 10 of 29
    JimmyGJimmyG Posts: 3member
    Re: "Mac 14,13 and Mac 14,14"...

     I'm thinking more along the lines of the long-overdue iMac and iMac Pro pro models, one to replace the 27" and another to address the previously-rumoured 32" model, respectively.

    Using their current 254ppi XDR MBP display technology...a quad-sized 14.2" would yield a 28.4" 6048x3928 display and a quad-sized 16.2" yielding a 32.4" 6912x4468 display both with with 1016 dimming zones. Both should be a walk-in-the-park for Cupertino.

    Kicking things up a notch to address the 8K HDR video-content folks, a 9-times MBP XDR display would work out to 9072x5892 @42.6" diagonal or 10368x6702 @48.6" diagonal panels, both with 2,286 dimmable zones, again, just using and upsizing the existing MBP XDR tech and specs. Seems like a Tim Cook finger-snap for a new MacPro XDR Display.

     :)
    edited June 2023
  • Reply 11 of 29
    john-uselessjohn-useless Posts: 61member
    On May 29, 2023, Costco began a sale on the M1 Max-based Mac Studio (the base processor model with 32 GB memory and 512 GB storage), selling it for $1,499.99, or $500 below Apple's price. Then the rumors started spinning up that WWDC might indeed bring us new M2-based Mac Studios, despite months of rumors suggesting a spec-bumped Mac Studio (with M2- or M3-based processors) might be coming but not until late 2023.

    I for one hope the rumors are true and that M2-based Mac Studio models are only days away. Despite my really needing at least 1 TB of storage, I almost bought the Costco deal since the price is so good. Now it seems smart to wait at least a few more days — even though it means missing the Costco deal, which expires June 2.

    That Costco was offering 25% savings on the M1 Max-based Mac Studio base model makes me think they have insider knowledge of Apple's plans. We don't usually see that kind of savings on older models until after new models are already on the market, right?
    KT123
  • Reply 12 of 29
    KT123KT123 Posts: 13member
    michelb76 said:
    KT123 said:
    Apple knows very well that without the Trade-In program, most potential buyers would just wait for the M3 chips to be released by early 2024, hence the need for an incentive to buy with the Trade-In options.
    I'm curious to know how much you will get for your old Studio.
    Probably slightly more than you would get for an old living room couch from a garage sale !!! 
    williamlondon
  • Reply 13 of 29
    KT123KT123 Posts: 13member
    john-useless said:
    On May 29, 2023, Costco began a sale on the M1 Max-based Mac Studio (the base processor model with 32 GB memory and 512 GB storage), selling it for $1,499.99, or $500 below Apple's price. Then the rumors started spinning up that WWDC might indeed bring us new M2-based Mac Studios, despite months of rumors suggesting a spec-bumped Mac Studio (with M2- or M3-based processors) might be coming but not until late 2023.

    I for one hope the rumors are true and that M2-based Mac Studio models are only days away. Despite my really needing at least 1 TB of storage, I almost bought the Costco deal since the price is so good. Now it seems smart to wait at least a few more days — even though it means missing the Costco deal, which expires June 2.

    That Costco was offering 25% savings on the M1 Max-based Mac Studio base model makes me think they have insider knowledge of Apple's plans. We don't usually see that kind of savings on older models until after new models are already on the market, right?
    That's kind of like the Day after Xmas fire sale at Adorama level of discount. Apple is definitely offloading old merchandise and clearing the warehouse for the M2 Studio.

    It's kind of unfortunate that the Studio Max and Ultra models tend to ship at the end of the processor model life cycle. Same thing happened with the M1 Studio that came out right before Apple announced the M2 processor generation, which makes it tempting to wait for the next gen (M3) instead before dropping $5 grand on a new computer. 
    john-uselesswilliamlondon
  • Reply 14 of 29
    mknelsonmknelson Posts: 1,127member
    michelb76 said:
    KT123 said:
    Apple knows very well that without the Trade-In program, most potential buyers would just wait for the M3 chips to be released by early 2024, hence the need for an incentive to buy with the Trade-In options.
    I'm curious to know how much you will get for your old Studio.
    You should talk to your local independent (if there is still one in your area). They've likely been doing trade ins long before Apple did, long before Apple's trade-in partners did, long before Apple opened their own stores… They may pay more than Apple, too.
    9secondkox2
  • Reply 15 of 29
    canukstormcanukstorm Posts: 2,704member
    riclf said:
    These Studio boxes look like power houses. In fact, why do you suppose there will be a Mac Pro? What can it have that a Studio Ultra wouldn't... except personal expansions via expansion cards. And how many of us are doing that these days?

    williamlondon
  • Reply 16 of 29
    bloggerblogbloggerblog Posts: 2,466member
    I hope Apple finally introduces product leasing with annual upgrades 
  • Reply 17 of 29
    danoxdanox Posts: 2,898member
    KT123 said:
    On May 29, 2023, Costco began a sale on the M1 Max-based Mac Studio (the base processor model with 32 GB memory and 512 GB storage), selling it for $1,499.99, or $500 below Apple's price. Then the rumors started spinning up that WWDC might indeed bring us new M2-based Mac Studios, despite months of rumors suggesting a spec-bumped Mac Studio (with M2- or M3-based processors) might be coming but not until late 2023.

    I for one hope the rumors are true and that M2-based Mac Studio models are only days away. Despite my really needing at least 1 TB of storage, I almost bought the Costco deal since the price is so good. Now it seems smart to wait at least a few more days — even though it means missing the Costco deal, which expires June 2.

    That Costco was offering 25% savings on the M1 Max-based Mac Studio base model makes me think they have insider knowledge of Apple's plans. We don't usually see that kind of savings on older models until after new models are already on the market, right?
    That's kind of like the Day after Xmas fire sale at Adorama level of discount. Apple is definitely offloading old merchandise and clearing the warehouse for the M2 Studio.

    It's kind of unfortunate that the Studio Max and Ultra models tend to ship at the end of the processor model life cycle. Same thing happened with the M1 Studio that came out right before Apple announced the M2 processor generation, which makes it tempting to wait for the next gen (M3) instead before dropping $5 grand on a new computer. 
    Which is why Apple needs to try (harder) to get on a schedule where they release the full range of Mac computers, on the same SOC (M1,M2,M3) generations within the same calendar year? Hard yes impossible no.
    edited June 2023 williamlondon
  • Reply 18 of 29
    tenthousandthingstenthousandthings Posts: 1,038member
    danox said:
    KT123 said:
    On May 29, 2023, Costco began a sale on the M1 Max-based Mac Studio (the base processor model with 32 GB memory and 512 GB storage), selling it for $1,499.99, or $500 below Apple's price. Then the rumors started spinning up that WWDC might indeed bring us new M2-based Mac Studios, despite months of rumors suggesting a spec-bumped Mac Studio (with M2- or M3-based processors) might be coming but not until late 2023.

    I for one hope the rumors are true and that M2-based Mac Studio models are only days away. Despite my really needing at least 1 TB of storage, I almost bought the Costco deal since the price is so good. Now it seems smart to wait at least a few more days — even though it means missing the Costco deal, which expires June 2.

    That Costco was offering 25% savings on the M1 Max-based Mac Studio base model makes me think they have insider knowledge of Apple's plans. We don't usually see that kind of savings on older models until after new models are already on the market, right?
    That's kind of like the Day after Xmas fire sale at Adorama level of discount. Apple is definitely offloading old merchandise and clearing the warehouse for the M2 Studio.

    It's kind of unfortunate that the Studio Max and Ultra models tend to ship at the end of the processor model life cycle. Same thing happened with the M1 Studio that came out right before Apple announced the M2 processor generation, which makes it tempting to wait for the next gen (M3) instead before dropping $5 grand on a new computer. 
    Which is why Apple needs to try (harder) to get on a schedule where they release the full range of Mac computers, on the same SOC (M1,M2,M3) generations within the same calendar year? Hard yes impossible no.
    It looks like one of the original rumors, that the plan was for the M-series to have an 18-month cycle, is taking shape.

    The global pandemic caused the M1 launch to be spread out over a longer period, but that's still the goal, and we're a year since the M2 launch. So the Ultra comes a year after the launch, and well, we'll see if there's a Mac Pro announced, availability in the Fall. 
  • Reply 19 of 29
    saareksaarek Posts: 1,523member
    michelb76 said:
    KT123 said:
    Apple knows very well that without the Trade-In program, most potential buyers would just wait for the M3 chips to be released by early 2024, hence the need for an incentive to buy with the Trade-In options.
    I'm curious to know how much you will get for your old Studio.
    At least 50% less than what you'd get on the open market. But this way you don't need to worry about trying to sell it.
  • Reply 20 of 29
    macxpressmacxpress Posts: 5,815member
    AppleInsider said:

    A likely rumor

    Mark Gurman has a strong history of accurate leaks, indicating his sources and his interpretations are usually close, if not spot on. This rumor coincides with many other rumors pointing to the inevitable M2 Ultra release, so we graded it a "Likely."

    Bahahahaha! Good one AI! Of course he's accurate because he changes his fuckin mind every other day so yeah of course he's right. 
    keithw
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