Apple last updated the Mac Pro in 2023, when it was the last Mac equipped with an M-series chip, three years after Apple began using its silicon in Macs. The Mac Pro may have an update cycle longer than the other Macs because it is an expensive machine with features that meet the needs of a specific audience.
But if you’re part of that audience, you’ll want to know when the next model is coming, so we’ll be keeping an eye on news and rumors about the Mac Pro. This article includes information about possible Mac Pro updates, as well as offering insight into what those rumored updates mean for Apple’s Mac line.
Mac Pro M3/M4: release date
In a report by Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman about Apple’s plans for its AI-enhanced M4 chip, he reported that Apple could update the Mac Pro with an M4 variant in 2025 after the other Macs have been updated.
Gurman’s report did not address the possibility of an M3 Ultra Mac Pro update being released between now and then. This omission seems to indicate that Apple will skip the M3 cycle and stick with the M2 Ultra until next year, which seems even more likely since Apple launched the M4 chip in the iPad Pro.
Mac Pro M3/M4: Processor
The biggest update we expect in the new Mac Pro is, of course, the chip. While we originally expected the Mac Pro to receive an M3 Ultra update this year, it now appears that the Mac Pro will skip the M3 generation entirely and jump to the M4.
In his April 2024 report, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman stated that the Mac Pro will be part of Apple’s AI focus and will be updated with an M4 with improved AI capabilities. Gurman didn’t offer any details on how those AI improvements or any other specifications on the M4 will be implemented.
At the time, Gurman said the M4 chip currently in testing was codenamed Hydra. Apple has since introduced the M4 chip in the iPad Pro with 6 efficiency cores and 10 graphics processing cores. In testing, speeds were about 20 percent faster than the base M3, so the M4 Ultra, which is the one that will go in the Mac Pro, should be much faster than the M2 Ultra. We also know that it has an improved neural engine for AI features that will be discussed at WWDC.
Presumably, Hydra is an M4 Ultra-type chip. Apple’s M1 Ultra and M2 Ultra chips are essentially two Max chips working together, but there have been reports that Apple will change the processor architecture, so we could see higher performance than in previous Ultra chips. For example, the 256GB and 512GB iPad Pro M4 have just 3 cores of CPU performance, the first time Apple has offered a version with fewer than four cores.
Mac Pro M3/M4: design and specifications
Gurman also reported that Apple wants to dramatically increase the maximum amount of unified memory in high-end desktop M4 Macs to 512GB. The current limit of the M2 Ultra Mac Pro is 192 GB. Therefore, the M4 Ultra Mac Pro could support more than twice the memory of the current M2 Ultra Mac Pro.
No other reports have been made about the inner workings of the upcoming Mac Pro. As Apple wants to focus on AI, the Mac Pro could be marketed as an AI development workstation, so Apple could upgrade other components to meet these needs. There have also been no reports on the design.
The next Mac Pro update is expected to keep the same design, but the internal components are likely to change, with a possible M4 Ultra update being the key.
The next Mac Pro update is expected to keep the same design, but the internal components are likely to change, with a possible M4 Ultra update being the key.
Foundry
The next Mac Pro update is expected to keep the same design, but the internal components are likely to change, with a possible M4 Ultra update being the key.
Foundry
Foundry
MacBook Pro M3/M4: Price
These are the prices for the current standard base configurations of the M2 Ultra Mac Pro for reference. Apple expects customers to configure their orders, so prices will vary from these basic specifications.
- Mac Pro Tower $6,999/£7,199/CA$8,999/AU$11,999: M2 Ultra, 24-core CPU, 60-core GPU, 32-core neural engine, 64GB unified memory, 1TB SSD
- Mac Pro Rack $7,499/£7,699/CA$9,599/AU$12,999: M2 Ultra, 24-core CPU, 60-core GPU, 32-core neural engine, 64GB unified memory, 1TB SSD
Pricing for the new Mac Pro has not been reported, although we expect it to remain the same in the US. Pricing may adjust to the latest exchange rates elsewhere. We predict that in the UK the price will be in line with the US, for example £6,999 instead of £7,199.
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