The Visual Summary — WWDC23 Part III: Mac Updates
A sketchnote summary of Apple’s WWDC23 Mac updates
In this third and final post of my Visual WWDC23 report, we’ll explore all the Mac updates that Apple presented. Next to the OS updates and the new Apple Vision Pro, Apple announced a 15" MacBook Air, the M2 Ultra, an update to the Mac Studio, and … the new Mac Pro. Finally, the entire Mac lineup is powered by Apple Silicon!
If you like this Visual Summary, make sure to check out the previous parts of this WWDC23 series:
Key highlights:
- MacBook Air 15": a big version of the 13" Air, only 0,27g (0.6 pounds) heavier, for $1.299.
- M2 Ultra: a new Apple Silicon chip that combines two M2 Max chips. Apple’s fastest chip to date.
- Mac Studio: with M2 Max or M2 Ultra chip, 25% faster than before.
- Mac Pro: Powered by the M2 Ultra, 3x faster than the Intel version. Provides an expandable tower (or rack) for the steep price of $6.999. Note that you cannot add graphics cards.
MacBook Air 15"
The 13" MacBook Air gets a size bump to 15". Apple’s MacBook sizes are now 13" (Air), 14" (Pro), 15" (Air), and 16" (Pro). The difference between the Pro and the Air lines is that the latter offers a thinner, lighter laptop with the added color options of Midnight and Starlight.
Compared to its 13" sibling, which was announced at last year’s WWDC22 and has since been updated with an M2 chip, the new 15" device packs only 0,27g (0.6 pounds) more weight. Besides its increased size, we find the same Air features on both devices: an M2 chip, 18h battery life, and a light and fan-less design.
The main drawback of this device is that it only supports one external screen.
The main drawback of this device is that it only supports one external screen. Next to the more nice-to-have Pro features (better screen, more processing power, etc.), this could be a deal-breaker for many people. While the machine packs a really powerful M2 processor, which seems to be able to run some modern games, the lack of external display options seems to artificially hold back the device.
For the starting price of $1.299, which is a very good price point, you do only get 8GB RAM and 256GB of storage. Increasing that to more realistic number of 16GB and 512GB, this bumps the price to $1.699. Note that the 13" M2 version got a price drop and is now available for $1.099 ($100 less than before), and the M1 variant for $999.
With the single-screen limitation as the only major downside, the 15-inch MacBook Air is a solid deal for those seeking a portable, yet powerful Mac, or those who seek an entry-level Mac to explore the ecosystem.
M2 Ultra
Next up, Apple unveiled its new chip, the M2 Ultra. This powerhouse, essentially a fusion of two M2 Max chips, is Apple’s fastest silicon to date.
The second iteration of the Ultra chip features 24 CPU cores, 76 GPU cores, a 40% faster Neural engine, and supports up to 192 GB of RAM at 800GBps. As the RAM is shared, this provides a considerable advantage in training machine learning models, as users will have a substantial amount of memory available. The new chip can drive eight 4K displays, six 6K displays (Pro Display XDR), or three 8K displays.
Apple announced two Mac models that can be equipped with this chip: the updated Mac Studio and the Mac Pro. Let’s have a look!
Mac Studio
The newly updated Mac Studio stays largely the same, except for a higher bandwidth HDMI port, which now supports 8k and 240Hz. Wifi 6E is also added, as is support for the M2 Max and M2 Ultra chips. Overall the device is 25% faster and even 50% faster for specific rendering jobs.
Mac Pro
The Mac Pro was the only machine that still needed the upgrade to Apple Silicon. Back in 2020, Apple planned for a “two-year transition,” which was completed for all devices except for the Mac Pro. The updated device has the same form factor but now comes with the M2 Ultra.
When comparing the updated device to the Intel version, the M2 Ultra is said to be three times faster for certain workloads. It also provides the equivalent of seven afterburner cards, which allows you to work with 24 4k camera feeds. If the included power is insufficient, there are PCIe expansion slots for audio and video I/O, networking, and storage. Note that this list does not include graphics cards, which apparently cannot be added.
In terms of ports, we find eight Thunderbolt 4 ports, two gigabit ethernet ports, two USB-A, two HDMI, and an audio jack. The device also comes in a rack-mountable version for data centers.
The price tag of the new Mac Pro is steep, with its base price of $6.999. When maxed out, the rack-mountable version can reach $12,947.98. However, when we compare that to the maximum price for the previous intel model, we’re still more than $40k lower than $53,799.
The Mac Pro seems to be designed for a niche audience, while the Mac Studio appears to be a better choice for most users who require extra power.
Still, this device seems to be designed for a niche audience, while the Mac Studio, with the new M2 Ultra chip, appears to be a better choice for most users who require extra power.
I wonder which use cases, next to the obvious need for the PCIe expansion slots, warrant the use of this device. Does the Mac Studio provide an identical performance? Does it reach the same Afterburner equivalence, even though the device is built differently (e.g., cooling)? If anyone knows, please let us know in the comments!
Conclusion & Thoughts
Apple has packed this WWDC with the Vision Pro announcement, OS updates, and even added in 3 Mac updates.
The 15-inch MacBook Air, with its larger screen, lightweight design, silent operation, and multiple color options, is an impressive device. At the starting price of $1.299 it can be a really good entry point if you can live with the one external display limitation. Check out the 13" model for a lower-cost option and identical performance.
The newly updated Macs, the Mac Studio and Mac Pro, get updated with support for the M2 Ultra: Apple’s most powerful chip to date. The latter device completes Apple’s transition to Apple Silicon. The Mac Studio, however, seems to be the device of choice if you don’t need expansion slots. The lower physical footprint, lower cost, and equally powerful processor indicate that it is the device of choice.
The Mac Pro probably still caters to niche users, but I wonder about the specific use cases. It might be relevant for data centers to use the rack-mountable version to offer cloud computing on Macs? If you’re a (former) Mac Pro user, or if you have more insights, definitely let us know in the comments!
Alright, that’s a wrap! I hope you enjoyed The Vision Summary of this year’s WWDC23, which was packed with updates. The full WWDC overview image in high-res can be found here. If you are interested in sharing this further, let me know!
I’m eager to hear your thoughts on these WWDC updates. Feel free to add your insights in the comments. Stay tuned for more visual reports!
