Apple's World Wide Developers Conference (WWDC) is just around the corner and the rumor mill is running wild. Desktop Macs in particular are in focus, as new models featuring the high-performance M2 Ultra and M2 Max chips could be unveiled, according to renowned Apple insider Mark Gurman of Bloomberg. This could represent a significant evolution for the Mac lineup and offer customers improved performance.
With the launch of the 14- and 16-inch MacBook Pro models in January this year, Apple presented the M2 Max chip to the world for the first time. Now it seems that the M2 Ultra chip, which would replace the previous M1 Ultra chip in the Mac Studio, is also about to be launched. This promises exciting developments for Apple's desktop Macs and is causing plenty of speculation. According to the Information on According to Gurman, Apple is currently testing two desktop Macs equipped with the new M2 Ultra and M2 Max chips. These devices are internally referred to as the "Mac 14.13" and "Mac 14.14," although it is unclear which model will use which chip.
Rumors about Macs with M2 Ultra & M2 Max chips – What is Apple planning?
Previous rumors suggested that the updated Mac Pro could include the M2 Ultra chip, but current testing suggests that the desktop computers tested could be new versions of the Mac Studio. Apple is also believed to be working on new iMac models, but these are expected to feature M3 chips. Back in April, Gurman predicted that updated Mac Studio devices could be released in the near future, but stressed that it was unlikely that Apple would introduce a version of the Mac Studio with an M2 Ultra chip, as it would be on par with the future Mac Pro in terms of performance.
Customers would therefore have little incentive to choose a Mac Pro. The first test units used by Apple are equipped with an M2 Max chip, which has eight high-performance cores, four efficiency cores, a 30-core GPU and 96 GB of RAM. This chip corresponds to the model that is also used in the 16-inch MacBook Pro with M2 Max chip. The second test unit, on the other hand, has an M2 Ultra chip with a 24-core CPU (16 high-performance cores and 8 efficiency cores) and a 60-core GPU. Previously, rumors circulated that M2 Ultra chips could even have up to 76 cores. In addition, there are various configurations with RAM sizes of 64 GB, 128 GB and 192 GB.
WWDC 2023: Suspense before the unveiling – rumors about new Macs
With Apple nearing WWDC and Mark Gurman hinting that multiple Macs could be unveiled at the event, it's quite possible that the new desktop Macs will be unveiled with the M2 Ultra and M2 Max chips. This would represent a significant evolution for the Mac lineup and offer users improved performance and efficiency. While the exact allocation of the chips to the various Mac models remains unclear, testing with the new M2 Ultra and M2 Max chips gives hope for exciting new features and innovations for Apple computers. It remains to be seen what other announcements and revelations WWDC 2023 will have in store for Mac users. (Photo by hadrian / Bigstockphoto)
