With the release of theMac Studioin March , Apple also released its fastest CPU ever . However , that poker chip , theM3 Ultra , is only available in the Mac Studio – it ’s not available in the higher - end Mac Pro . Apple ’s flagship Mac , once dubbed“the Earth ’s dissipated personal calculator , ” still escape the M2 Ultra chip that was released in 2022 .
That depart the Mac Pro as a glaring oddball in its Mac batting order . It ’s an expensive column computer begin at $ 6,999 with an out - of - date chip . Does this signify the tower Mac has come to an end ? Perhaps , but there is a glimmer of hope , if you want to believe .
Mac Pro’s history in limbo
Apple has a history of leaving the Mac Pro in limbo . When theMac Studio was first released in 2022 , the Mac Pro did n’t get an update and eventually became the last Mac with Intel C.P.U. . At that time , it was still possible to get an Intel Mac Pro that was technically faster than the M1 Ultra Mac Studio , but you had to pay a agio for Xeon CPUs and graphics bill of fare upgrade that were clearly on the direction out .
TheMac Pro ’s Apple silicon update finally came in 2023when it got an M2 Ultra chip alongside the Mac Studio . Apple did n’t change much about the Mac Pro other than its silicon chip , though it fill away the ability to add aftermarket random memory and graphics . The 2023 Mac Pro is essentially a machine for users who need PCIe expansion cards – a specialised market , but one that lay the Mac as a top - tier originative workstation .
Apple insert the first M - series Mac Pro in 2023 at WWDC .
Apple introduced the first M-series Mac Pro in 2023 at WWDC.
Foundry
But since the M2 Ultra offer the same performance in the petite Mac Studio and the tower of the Mac Pro , the questions about the Mac Pro ’s viability persisted . Its very beingness does n’t make sense , especially for a troupe that congratulate itself on maintaining net profit margins and managing production costs . Apple does n’t release data on individual units sell , but it seems hard to believe that the Mac Pro , which startle at a Leontyne Price ticket that ’s $ 3,000 more than the Mac Studio , sells in high enough amount to apologise its place in the lineup .
But the Mac Pro has fall back from the dead before . The current design with Intel chips wasreleased in 2019 , six years after the ill - receivedcylindrical Mac Pro . That long spread was disrupted in 2017 , when Apple announced that the Mac Prowould get the modular designit still employ today . So , a languishing Mac Pro is n’t novel , and its history feeds into speculation about its viability .
Apple introduced the first M-series Mac Pro in 2023 at WWDC.
Mac Studio in the spotlight
What ’s different this time is the introduction of the Mac Studio in 2021 . Its launch suggested that the Mac Pro was on the way out , and with update in 2023 and 2025 , Apple has established the Mac Studio as a littler Mac Pro with the fast M - serial publication silicon chip . In fact , if speed is your top priority , the flying Mac you may buy is n’t even the Mac Pro right now — it ’s M3 Ultra Mac Studio .
Granted , the Mac Pro is the only choice for a Mac user who needs expansion time slot , but at least with its prior iterations , you were ensure to get the loyal chip , too . With the launch of the M3 Ultra , enlargement is theonlyjustification to get the Mac Pro , making its specialized status even more specialized .
This is n’t the first time Apple targeted the mellow - remainder workstation market with a lowly , compact computer with limited upgradability . The Mac Studio is something of a Renaissance of the 2013 cylindrical Mac Pro . Both have compact , space - saving designs and the fastest bit . Both have a lot of ports for connecting devices . Both are workstations for postulate users but notthe mostdemanding exploiter .
Apple was quite proud of the 2013 Mac Pro ; at its first appearance , Apple ’s Phil Schiller famously gag , “ Ca n’t introduce anymore , my ass . ” The Mac Studio is similarly innovative and its easy to assume it will take the place of the Mac Pro at some head . It does n’t help that there are n’t any Mac Pro rumour that channelize to any specific specifications , fresh tech , design tweak , or anything else . The onlyrumor to mouth ofis a credit that it might arrive later this twelvemonth , but a probationary touch on the release schedule is n’t reassuring .
What the future holds
So if the Mac Studio is the workstation value model , Apple has an chance to shift the Mac Pro rather of letting it fade aside . I ’ve always thought that this Mac in special should be a showcase for that latest ( if not cut edge ) tech . It should always have the debauched CPU , the burly GPU , the latest Thunderbolt , Wi - Fi , and Bluetooth iterations , and whatever else Apple can do ( what the heck , put a C1 in it ! ) . And it should be updated frequently on a regular basis with whatever the latest matter is . It ’s not a political machine that just anyone can afford , but so what ? Apple can afford to have a humble - bulk selling Mac that has the primary intention of turn muscle . The fact that you may purchase it is a incentive .
It ’s also the only Mac made in the U.S. Asannouncedback in 2019 , the Mac Pro is manufactured in Austin , Texas , and admit “ constituent design , developed and manufactured by more than a dozen American companies for distribution to US customers . ” With tariffs threatening to upend Apple ’s line , a U.S.-made information processing system could be a blessing to Apple ’s bargaining position .
As Macworld columnist Jason Snell recently theorize , Apple could also havebigger architectural plan for its chipsthat would ask the available cooling space within the Mac Pro . paper have said thatApple is working on a server chip for online AI processing , and perhaps after Apple will unveil this chip alongside a reimagined Mac Pro . It might seem like a recollective shot , but the Mac Pro has been born-again so many times , a glimmer is all Mac Pro fans need to keep promise alive .
