New M3 Max rumor reveals why you should wait before buying a Mac Studio

Apple launched the Mac Studio with the powerful M2 Max and M2 Ultra in June. Although its $1,999 starting price discouraged some consumers, professionals who perform demanding edits and production work were elated by the launch. And with the M2 Ultra model starting as high as $3,999, it’s clear that Apple has built this product for a specific audience.

But if you haven’t yet invested in a Mac Studio, you may want to defer your purchase to a later date. A recent leak from Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman suggests that Apple is already hard at work on the M3 Max and Ultra, which will come to Mac Studio. However, they likely won’t arrive until the end of 2024.

Apple’s M3 Max and Ultra in Mac Studio

Gurman’s report illustrates some specifics about the power expectations for both the M3 Max and Ultra. The former’s base configuration will have 16 CPU cores and 32 GPU cores, while its top configuration upgrades to 40 GPU cores. The latter’s base configuration has 32 CPU cores and 64 GPU cores, while the top configuration bumps that up to 80 GPU cores.

He’s more confident in M3 Max’s launch in 2024, but somewhat uncertain about M3 Ultra. He claims the end of 2024 is its earliest possible launch, but if it is bumped to 2025, we don’t expect the Mac Studio to launch until that year. This is because the Mac Studio launched with both the M2 Max and M2 Ultra, and the latter was revealed five-or-so months after the former.

Gurman added that there’s a chance M3 Ultra also comes to Mac Pro, but he’s uncertain whether Apple will continue making them. The M3 Max could come to 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models, too. Regardless, we’re not expecting these new models to launch for quite some time.

If you’ve been eyeing the new Mac Studio and considered snagging one, consider whether you can wait until next year. If it is pertinent to your work, and you need one as soon as possible, you can ignore this recommendation. But if you can wait, why not get your hands on an M3 Ultra Mac Studio instead?