With WWDC 2023 only a few days away, the rumour mill is spinning furiously with details about prospective new products. We're expecting to see a 15-inch MacBook Air, as well as details about the highly-anticipated Apple Reality Pro headset.
Now, another leak has shed some light on another range of Mac products we could see at the event. The information – supplied by notable Apple insider, Mark Gurman – suggests a duo of Mac models currently in testing.
While it's not clear exactly what these are, we do know that they are desktop Macs, with one packing an M2 Max chip and another with an M2 Ultra. The M2 Max isn't new – we already saw that on the 2023 MacBook Pro models – but the M2 Ultra would be. If it does see the light of day next week, it would mark another major product for Apple Silicon.
The inclusion of the M2 Ultra has sparked some debate about what these could be. The most obvious choice off the bat is the Mac Studio, which is due an upgrade to the M2 series of processors. Those packed the M1 Max and Ultra before, so this would make sense.
However, that would appear to tread on the toes of the Mac Pro. Users have been calling for an upgrade to that for years now, with it expected to run the M2 Ultra. Gurman even previously stated it was unlikely that a Mac Studio would feature the M2 Ultra, because of how similar it would be to the Pro.
So, are we about to see the Mac Pro at WWDC? It doesn't seem so. The internal product numbers of the two devices mentioned don't align with the previously leaked one for the device. It's possible that those have changed, but I don't think that's the case.
Instead, I think the Mac Pro will remain as it is, while the Mac Studio gets the push with high-end chips. I'd wager that in the long run, Apple phase out the Pro altogether, with the top-spec Studio taking its place in a more compact form factor.
Whatever happens, we'll know soon enough. The event will take place on the 5th of June at 10am PT/6pm BST – you can find more details on how to watch WWDC here.
