Apple’s new Mac Studio: The Mac Mini grows up

Apple debuted its Mac Studio desktop PC at today’s Peek Performance event. The unit resembles a slightly larger Mac Mini with an increased number of I/O ports, but its internal components put it in direct competition with the most powerful Mac Pro models Apple currently offers. 

The Mac Studio will come in two versions: one based on the M1 Max chip and another based on the just-announced M1 Ultra, Apple’s new top-tier SoC offering. The unit’s outside consists of a 7.7-inch square unibody aluminum extrusion sporting a vast array of I/O ports. For data, it has 4 Thunderbolt 4 ports, a 10G Ethernet port, 2 USB-A ports, an HDMI port, and a Pro Audio port capable of running high-impedance headphones or powered speakers. It also supports Wi-Fi 6 for wireless connectivity. 

The front I/O includes 2 USB-C ports (supporting Thunderbolt 4 on the M1 Ultra version) and an SDXC card slot. 

All of these connections are powered by some of the fastest internal components Apple has ever produced. The M1 Max version of the Mac Studio supports up to 64GB of video memory, while the M1 Ultra version bumps that to 128GB. Storage is taken care of by an SSD capable of 7.4Gbps of throughput, with up to 8TB of onboard capacity. 

All told, the M1 Max version is up to 50% faster than the 16-core Xeon-powered Mac Pro, while the M1 Ultra edition can go up to 60% faster than Apple’s top-end 28-core Xeon machine. 

Predictably, all of this power comes at a cost. The M1 Max version of the Mac Studio starts at $1,999, while the M1 Ultra version begins at $3,999. Both versions are 

and are expected to be available on March 18.