Mac Studio with M2 Ultra chip is real and proves there's life in the Studio yet

(Image credit: Apple)

WWDC 2023 SO FAR...

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- Apple VR and the Reality Pro headset
- iOS 17
- macOS 14
- iPadOS 17
- watchOS 10

When it comes to the size-vs-performance ratio in Apple's Mac line-up, the Mac Studio can't be beaten. And at WWDC 2023, an all-new Mac Studio with even more powerful internals has just been revealed -- along with its $1,999 price tag.

Still looking very much like two Mac Mini computers stacked on top of each other, the 2023 Mac Studio is now powered by the M2 Max processor, which offers 25% faster speeds compared to the M1 Max.

Apple has also today announced its new M2 Ultra chip, joining 2 Max chips together for double the performance. It's got a 24-core chip and a 76-core GPU, a 32-core neural engine, and up to 192GB of memory.

The M2 Ultra has a 20% faster CPU and 30% faster GPU, the company claimed, supporting 22 streams of 8K video and up to 6 Pro Display XDR. UltraFusion’s architecture enables M2 Ultra to appear as a single chip to software Apple said in a press release announcing the new chip. This means code doesn’t need to be rewritten to utilize the extreme performance of M2 Ultra and makes UltraFusion unlike anything else in the industry.

A die shot of the Apple M2 Ultra chip — (Image credit: Apple)

The Mac Studio's position in Apple's Mac line-up has looked a little precarious since the introduction of super-powered M2 Mac Mini computers earlier this year. Offering a similar design and 'more-than-enough' power for the average user, the Mac Studio had become somewhat the black sheep of the desktop Mac family. But by souping up its innards, Apple has again created a top-end desktop model to turn heads — if the owners of those heads can afford the high asking price, that is. At $1,999 to start, this is not an inexpensive computer.

With the macOS 14 update also making its debut at the WWDC 2023 showcase, this software and hardware duo will pack quite the punch when both reach Apple fans a little later this year.

We're covering all the WWDC 2023 announcements live and as they happen. Don't miss all our Apple VR, iOS 17, macOS 14, iPadOS 17, and watchOS 10 analysis so far.

Stephen Warwick has written about Apple for five years at iMore and previously elsewhere. He covers all of iMore's latest breaking news regarding all of Apple's products and services, both hardware and software. Stephen has interviewed industry experts in a range of fields including finance, litigation, security, and more. He also specializes in curating and reviewing audio hardware and has experience beyond journalism in sound engineering, production, and design. Before becoming a writer Stephen studied Ancient History at University and also worked at Apple for more than two years. Stephen is also a host on the iMore show, a weekly podcast recorded live that discusses the latest in breaking Apple news, as well as featuring fun trivia about all things Apple. Follow him on Twitter @stephenwarwick9