A apple tests a pair of new high-end Macs and their respective processors ahead of its Worldwide Developers Conference next week, in a sign that it is close to releasing professionally focused desktops.
The company plans two new Mac models — called internally the Mac 14.13 and Mac 14.14 — that will run the M2 Max processor announced in January and a yet-to-be-disclosed M2 Ultra chip. That second processor would replace the M1 Ultra model currently used in Mac Studio, a high-end desktop introduced in March 2022.
The new computers are part of a strategy to revamp the Mac lineup and appeal to consumers during an industry downturn.
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Powerful desktop models are still key to Apple’s appeal among professional users such as video editors or graphic designers. The company is also a few days away from holding the World Developers Conference (WWDC), its annual meeting with professionals who use these machines to create applications.
A representative for Apple, based in Cupertino, Calif., declined to comment.
The first desktop computer under test operates with an M2 Max processor with eight high-performance cores — components for the most demanding tasks — in addition to four efficiency cores and 30 graphics cores. Those are the same specs featured on the MacBook Pro with the M2 Max. This particular machine also includes 96 gigabytes of memory and runs macOS 13.4, the version of the Mac operating system released in early May.
The second machine under test operates with the so-called M2 Ultra, a chip yet to be announced by the company. This component, which has 24 processing cores, has twice the performance of the M2 Max model. The chip includes 16 high-performance cores and eight efficiency cores, as well as 60 graphics cores. The company tests the chip in configurations with 64 gigabytes, 128 gigabytes and 192 gigabytes of memory.
The M2 Ultra chip will also include a more powerful option, with up to 76 graphics cores, doubling the 38-core maximum found in the current M2 Max chip, according to Bloomberg.
The M2 Ultra chip was initially developed for an upcoming version of the high-end Mac Pro desktop. Currently, this machine still operates with chips from intel — a barrier in Apple’s three-year effort to use internal processors in its computers.
Apple has been vague about the arrival of a new Mac Pro. The company said more than a year ago that an updated model would be released “another day”. Inside Apple, the future Mac Pro with internal chips was called Mac 14.8. This suggests that the latest desktops under test are different machines, like new versions of Mac Studio, currently offered in M1 Max and M1 Ultra configurations.
Bloomberg reported in April that two new Mac Studio updates are in the works. Apple is also developing a 15-inch version of the MacBook Air, along with future iterations of the 13-inch MacBook Air and a 15-inch model with a 3-nanometer M3 processor. And it plans an inexpensive 13-inch MacBook Pro and an iMac with the next-generation chip.
Next week’s developer conference kicks off on Monday with the debut of Apple’s long-awaited mixed reality handset. The company will also reveal updates to the software that runs on the iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch and Mac. The presentation should also include several new Mac models.
In another sign that new machines are coming soon, Apple plans to start allowing customers to redeem more types of Macs for a gift card next Monday. The Macs Apple will start accepting: The 13-inch MacBook Air M2 and 13-inch MacBook Pro, plus the current Mac Studio. This type of promotion usually indicates that new versions are on the way.
Source: Moneytimes
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