Mac Studio

Last updated

Mac Studio
Mac Studio (logo).svg
Mac Studio (2022) front.jpg
Developer Apple Inc.
Product family Macintosh
Type Compact desktop
Workstation
Release dateMarch 18, 2022;3 years ago (2022-03-18)
Operating system macOS
System on a chip Apple M series
Related Mac Mini, Mac Pro
Website apple.com/mac-studio

The Mac Studio is a small-form-factor workstation computer developed and marketed by Apple Inc. It is one of four desktop computers in the Mac lineup, sitting above the consumer-range Mac Mini and iMac, and positioned below the Mac Pro. It is configurable with either the M4 Max or M3 Ultra system on a chip.

Contents

Overview

Rear ports Mac Studio (2022) rear.jpg
Rear ports

The Mac Studio is a desktop personal computer, designed to sit between the consumer-level Mac Mini and the professional-targeted Mac Pro. [1] [2] The Mac Studio has an identical width and depth to the contemporary Mac mini, 7.7 inches (200 mm), but it stands taller at 3.7 inches (94 mm).

The Mac Studio was initially offered in two ARM-based SoC: the M1 Max or the M1 Ultra, which combines two M1 Max chips in one package. [3] [4] It has four Thunderbolt 4 (USB 4) ports, two USB 3.0 Type-A ports, HDMI (up to 4K @ 60 Hz), 10Gb Ethernet with Lights Out Management [5] and a headphone jack. The front panel has two USB-C ports (Thunderbolt 4 in M1 Ultra models) and an SD card slot (that supports SDXC cards and UHS-II bus), making it the first desktop Mac since the 2012 Mac Pro to have I/O on the front. It is cooled by a pair of double-sided blowers and a mesh of holes on the bottom and back of the case, which helps reduce the noise of fans spinning. [6] Nevertheless, there have been reports of excessive fan noise. [7]

Mac Studio models with the Ultra SoC are heavier than the Max-equipped models, as they exchange the aluminum heat sink for one composed of copper. [8] Apple says the Mac Studio performs 50 percent faster than a Mac Pro with a 16-core Intel Xeon processor. [6]

The Mac Studio was introduced alongside the Apple Studio Display, a 27-inch 5K monitor with an integrated 12 megapixel camera, six-speaker sound system with spatial audio and Dolby Atmos support and a height adjustable stand. [6] Customers reported months-long shipping delays for the Mac Studio, attributed to a global chip shortage. [9] [10]

Updates

On June 5, 2023, during WWDC, Apple introduced updated Mac Studio models based on the M2 Max and M2 Ultra chips. Updates include Bluetooth 5.3, Wi-Fi 6E, the capability of running up to six 6K monitors, and support for 8K displays over Thunderbolt and HDMI. [11]

On March 5, 2025, updated Mac Studio models were announced with M4 Max and M3 Ultra chips, which began shipping on March 12. Updates include Thunderbolt 5, and memory configurable up to 512 GB and storage configurable up to 16 TB on the M3 Ultra models. [12] Despite the M4 chips being a newer generation than the M3 chips, the M3 Ultra was included in the high-end model due to there being no existing Ultra chips in the M4 line. [13]

Repairability

A Mac Studio with Studio Display, Magic Keyboard, and Magic Trackpad in an Apple Store Mac Studio with Studio Display, Magic Keyboard, and Magic Trackpad in Apple Store.jpg
A Mac Studio with Studio Display, Magic Keyboard, and Magic Trackpad in an Apple Store

Mac Studio has two removable flash storage ports, with one or two of them in use, the latter in models with 4 or 8 TB of storage. [14] While it is possible to swap the flash storage card between same size models, with an Apple Configurator restore, [15] [16] upgrading is not supported officially. [17] Some reviewers have criticized this decision as unfriendly for right to repair, while Ars Technica notes this limitation may be due to the design of Apple silicon that implements the SSD controller into the system on a chip rather than the drive itself for encryption purposes. [18] The positioning of components such as the SSD beneath an exposed power supply has also been criticized. [18] [19]

Reception

Specifications

Software and operating systems

The macOS operating system has been pre-installed on all Mac Studio computers since release, starting with version macOS Monterey, which is the first release of macOS to ship with the original Mac Studio.

Supported macOS releases
OS release202220232025
12 Monterey 12.2——
13 Ventura Check-green.svg13.4—
14 Sonoma Check-green.svgCheck-green.svg—
15 Sequoia Check-green.svgCheck-green.svg15.2
26 Tahoe Check-green.svgCheck-green.svgCheck-green.svg
Timeline of Power Macintosh, Pro, and Studio models
Mac ProMac StudioMac ProMac StudioMac ProMac ProMac ProPower Mac G5Power Mac G5Power Mac G4Power Mac G5Power Mac G4Power Mac G4 CubePower Mac G4Power Macintosh G3#Blue and WhitePower Macintosh 9600Power Macintosh G3Power Macintosh 8600Power Macintosh 9500Power Macintosh 8500Power Macintosh 8100Power Macintosh G3Power Macintosh 7600Power Macintosh 7300Power Macintosh 4400Power Macintosh 7500Power Macintosh 7200Power Macintosh 7100Power Macintosh 6500Power Macintosh 6400Power Macintosh 6200Power Macintosh 6100Power Macintosh G3Twentieth Anniversary MacintoshPower Macintosh 5500Power Macintosh 5400Power Macintosh 5260Power Macintosh 5200 LCMac Studio
See also: List of Mac models

Notes

    References

    1. ↑ "Mac studio: Everything we know about Apple's powerful new desktop computer". The Independent. March 11, 2022. Archived from the original on May 10, 2022. Retrieved March 15, 2022.
    2. ↑ "Apple's Mac Studio Is the iMac Pro Reboot You've Been Waiting For". PCMAG. Archived from the original on July 6, 2022. Retrieved July 12, 2022.
    3. ↑ "Apple's new M1 Ultra aims to beat Nvidia's RTX 3090". The Verge. March 9, 2022. Archived from the original on March 10, 2022. Retrieved March 10, 2022.
    4. ↑ "Apple M1 Ultra Chip Is Nearly 3 Times Bigger Than AMD's Ryzen CPUs, Benchmarks Show Desktop Intel & AMD CPUs Still Ahead". wccftech.com. March 19, 2022. Archived from the original on March 21, 2022. Retrieved March 21, 2022.
    5. ↑ "Lights Out Management MDM payload settings for Apple devices". Apple Support. Archived from the original on April 27, 2022. Retrieved May 20, 2022.
    6. 1 2 3 "Apple's Mac Studio Is a Mightier Desktop for Creative Pros". Wired. March 8, 2022. Archived from the original on March 9, 2022. Retrieved March 10, 2022.
    7. ↑ "Some Mac Studio owners are not happy with a high-pitched noise coming from the fan". UMA Technology. February 2, 2025. Retrieved March 12, 2025.
    8. ↑ "Apple explains why the M1 Ultra-equipped Mac Studio is two pounds heavier". The Verge. March 9, 2022. Archived from the original on March 10, 2022. Retrieved March 10, 2022.
    9. ↑ "Delivery Estimates for Mac Studio and Studio Display Slip to April". Mac Rumors. March 8, 2022. Archived from the original on March 9, 2022. Retrieved March 10, 2022.
    10. ↑ "Mac Studio shipping dates already slipping to April and May". Apple Insider. March 8, 2022. Archived from the original on March 10, 2022. Retrieved March 10, 2022.
    11. ↑ "Apple unveils new Mac Studio and brings Apple silicon to Mac Pro". Apple Newsroom. Retrieved June 6, 2023.
    12. ↑ Cunningham, Andrew (March 5, 2025). "Apple intros new Mac Studio models with M4 Max and… M3 Ultra?". Ars Technica . Retrieved March 5, 2025.
    13. ↑ https://arstechnica.com/apple/2025/03/apple-announces-m3-ultra-and-says-not-every-generation-will-see-an-ultra-chip/
    14. ↑ Porter, Jon (March 24, 2022). "iFixit teardown offers a detailed look inside the Mac Studio and Studio Display". The Verge. Archived from the original on April 15, 2022. Retrieved March 30, 2022.
    15. ↑ "iFixit on Twitter". March 23, 2022. Archived from the original on April 21, 2022. Retrieved April 20, 2022.
    16. ↑ "Mac Studio Teardown: No Upgradable Storage … Yet". ifixit. March 21, 2022. Archived from the original on April 20, 2022. Retrieved April 21, 2022.
    17. ↑ "DIY storage upgrade for a Mac Studio". TidBITS Talk. August 23, 2024. Retrieved May 2, 2025.
    18. 1 2 Cunningham, Andrew (March 22, 2022). "Explaining the Mac Studio's removable SSDs, and why you can't simply swap them out". Ars Technica. Archived from the original on May 24, 2022. Retrieved March 30, 2022.
    19. ↑ "The Mac Studio's removable SSD is reportedly blocked by Apple on a software level". The Verge. March 22, 2022. Archived from the original on June 2, 2022. Retrieved March 22, 2022.
    20. ↑ "Mac Studio (2022) – Technical Specifications". support.apple.com. Retrieved August 3, 2024.
    21. ↑ "Mac Studio (2023) – Technical Specifications". support.apple.com. Retrieved March 16, 2025.
    22. ↑ "Mac Studio (2025) – Technical Specifications". support.apple.com. Retrieved March 16, 2025.
    23. ↑ "Product Environmental Report Mac Studio (2022)" (PDF). Apple. March 18, 2022. Retrieved August 3, 2024.
    24. 1 2 "Product Environmental Report Mac Studio (2025)" (PDF). Apple. March 5, 2025. Retrieved March 5, 2025.
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