Apple may have scrapped its much-anticipated “M2 Extreme” Mac Pro, according to a new report from Bloomberg Markus Gurman.
Pro users have been waiting for a redesigned M-Series desktop computer for well over two years, with Apple missing a self-imposed deadline to transition its lineup to Apple Silicon. A new M series Mac Pro was rumored to come in two configurations, an M2 Ultra and a new “M2 Extreme” that would double the performance of the M2 Ultra.
The M2 Ultra is said to have up to 24 CPU cores, 76 graphics cores and up to 192 GB of RAM. The ‘M2 Extreme’ would have 48 CPU cores and 152 graphics cores, but Apple has reportedly scrapped plans to ship the more powerful processor.
The company likely scrapped this high-end configuration, which could disappoint Apple’s most demanding users — the photographers, editors, and programmers who value this kind of processing power. The company made the decision because of the complexity and cost of manufacturing a processor, which is essentially four M2 Max chips fused together. It will also help Apple and its partner Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. conserve chip manufacturing resources for higher-volume machines.
Gurman also points out that there were concerns about the cost of the “M2 Extreme” Mac Pro. He estimates that without upgrades, the configuration would cost $10,000.
The new Mac Pro is now expected to be based on the M2 Ultra chip and will stand out from the Mac Studio due to its easy expandability with additional RAM, mass storage and other components. Apple is reportedly also working on new external monitors, including an update for the Pro Display XDR. However, the new Pro Display XDR may appear after the new Mac Pro as it is further behind in development.
Finally, Gurman believes Apple will move Mac Pro assembly from Texas to Vietnam. Apple had agreed to assemble the current Mac Pro in Texas under pressure from the Trump administration. Now that Trump is out of office, Apple could move assembly back to Asia.
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