Apple announced the Mac Studio and Studio Display three years ago today.
The Mac Studio and Studio Display were unveiled as the final major announcements of Apple's "Peek Performance" event. Apple CEO Tim Cook introduced them as a completely new Mac product category and a powerful new display designed for creative professionals.
The Mac Studio is positioned between the Mac mini and the Mac Pro. The first model featured the M1 Max or the newly introduced M1 Ultra chip, offering the best performance of any Mac at the time. The base M1 Max model started at $1,999, while the M1 Ultra variant began at $3,999. Fully configured, the M1 Ultra model could exceed $8,000. Many saw the Mac Studio and Studio Display as the spiritual successor to the 27-inch iMac, which was discontinued on the same day as the Mac Studio's launch.
In June 2023, during the Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC), Apple announced M2 Max and M2 Ultra chip options for the Mac Studio. Enhancements included support for up to six 6K monitors and improved connectivity options, such as Bluetooth 5.3 and Wi-Fi 6E.
Earlier this week, Apple introduced the latest iteration of the Mac Studio, now featuring the M4 Max and M3 Ultra chips. The M4 Max offers a 16-core CPU and up to a 40-core GPU, starting with 36GB of RAM, while the M3 Ultra boasts a 32-core CPU and up to an 80-core GPU, with configurations supporting up to 512GB of RAM. Both models include Thunderbolt 5 ports.
The Studio Display marked Apple's reentry into the consumer display market after more than a decade of absence. Prior to its release, Apple only offered one high-end professional monitor in the form of 2019's Pro Display XDR, which was aimed at a niche audience with a price tag of $4,999, without a stand. The Studio Display introduced a more accessible option for the wider range of users looking for a high-quality, premium external monitor that works well with Apple devices.
Rumors suggest that Apple is developing a new Studio Display model with mini-LED backlighting, expected to be released later in 2025 or early 2026.
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