O'Grady's PowerPage

Tag: Pro Display XDR

  • Apple discontinues the Mac Pro product line, offers no future plans for updated hardware

    Apple discontinues the Mac Pro product line, offers no future plans for updated hardware

    As much as you may love the Mac Pro towers, Apple felt differently as to the future of the product.

    Per 9to5Mac, Apple has confirmed that the Mac Pro is being discontinued and that no future models are planned in the future. The company removed the tower from its “buy” page on Apple’s website, and the former Mac Pro web page now redirects to other sections of the website.

    The Mac Pro has lived many lives over the years. Apple released the current Mac Pro industrial design in 2019 alongside the Pro Display XDR (which was also discontinued earlier this month). That version of the Mac Pro was powered by Intel, and Apple refreshed it with the M2 Ultra chip in June 2023. It has gone without an update since then, languishing at its $6,999 price point even as Apple debuted the M3 Ultra chip in the Mac Studio last year.

    At present, the Mac Studio is clearly set up as the “pro” desktop Mac. The unit can be configured with the M3 Ultra chip and a 32-core CPU, and an 80-core GPU, paired with 256GB of unified memory and 16TB of SSD storage.

    With the discontinuation of Mac Pro today, Apple now sells three desktop Macs:

    • 24-inch iMac with M4
    • Mac mini with M4 and M4 Pro
    • Mac Studio with M4 Max and M3 Ultra

    And three notebooks:

    • MacBook Neo
    • MacBook Air
    • MacBook Pro

    While this may break a number of hearts (including my own, I owned several Mac Pro towers over the years, and I loved upgrading them), the writing’s been on the wall for several years now and the time had come for Apple, in a true Steve Jobs fashion, to slash a product it didn’t need.

    Please let us know what you think in the comments.

    Via 9to5Mac

  • macOS Tahoe 26.1 beta 3 offers hints as to next-gen Pro Display XDR 2 monitor with built-in camera

    macOS Tahoe 26.1 beta 3 offers hints as to next-gen Pro Display XDR 2 monitor with built-in camera

    Sometimes it’s the betas that drop the most interesting hints as to what’s to come.

    Apple on Tuesday seeded its third beta of its upcoming macOS 26.1 update to developers for testing. As noted by 9to5Mac’s Zac Hall, the build featured references to a Pro Display XDR 2 monitor with a built-in camera.

    The references specifically cite a new “Pro Display XDR Camera” and “Pro Display XDR Desk View Camera” code strings, which suggest that Apple is planning to release a new version of the external monitor with a built-in Center Stage camera.

    Center Stage is a feature that keeps you centered in the frame during video calls, even if you move around. Desk View, which requires a camera with Center Stage support, can show your face and an overhead view of your desk at the same time.

    The current Pro Display XDR, which sells for $4,999 in the United States, lacks a built-in camera. The unit, which was released in December 2019, the Pro Display XDR features a 32-inch screen with 6K resolution, a 60Hz refresh rate, up to 1,600 nits of brightness, one Thunderbolt 3 port, and three USB-C ports. Notably, the monitor’s stand costs an additional $999.

    Apple went on to release a 27-inch Studio Display with a Center Stage camera and speakers in March 2022. That monitor starts at $1,599, stand included.

    According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, Apple is working on two new external monitors, so perhaps both the Pro Display XDR and the Studio Display will be updated.

    It’s unknown as to when Apple might release an updated display.

    Stay tuned for additional details as they become available.

    Via MacRumors, 9to5Mac, and Bloomberg

  • Rumor: Apple testing iMac with 32-inch display

    Rumor: Apple testing iMac with 32-inch display

    Apple is rumored to be experimenting with larger iMacs, including a model with a 32-inch display.

    Per Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, these iMacs are still in early development, and might not launch until 2024 or 2025 at the earliest.

    Gurman had previously noted that Apple was developing a larger iMac with over a 30-inch display, and he has now specified that the display will be around the same 32-inch size as Apple’s high-end Pro Display XDR monitor. Released in December 2019, the Pro Display XDR has a 6K resolution for Retina-quality content and starts at $4,999.

    Apple discontinued its Intel-based 27-inch iMac and iMac Pro over the last few years and has yet to release a larger-screen iMac under its current Apple Silicon architecture. Instead, the company offers the 27-inch Studio Display, which can be connected to the Mac Studio or another Mac with Apple silicon, but this is not an all-in-one solution like the iMac.

    For now, the 24-inch iMac is the only all-in-one computer sold by Apple. The current model with the M1 chip was released in April 2021, and Gurman expects an updated model with a faster M3 chip to launch by early next year. All current Apple silicon chips are manufactured based on TSMC’s 5nm process, while the M3 chip is expected to move to a 3nm process for significant performance and power efficiency improvements.

    Stay tuned for additional details as they become available.

    Via MacRumors and Bloomberg

  • WWDC: Apple announces second-generation Mac Studio featuring M2 Max, M2 Ultra processors

    WWDC: Apple announces second-generation Mac Studio featuring M2 Max, M2 Ultra processors

    Over at WWDC on Monday, Apple announces its second-generation Mac Studio desktop, complete with M2 processors offering up to 25 percent fast performance while retaining the same chassis as the first-generation model.

    The original Mac Studio was released in March 2022 in configurations with an M1 Max or an M1 Ultra processor. This new refresh offers a choice of M2 Max and M2 Ultra processors.

    According to Apple, the unit “doubles the performance of M2 Macs. The 24-core CPU and M2 Ultra delivers 20 percent faster performance than M1 Ultra, and its 76-core GPU is 30 percent faster than M1 Ultra. Finally, the 32-core neural engine is 40 percent faster.”

    The M2 Ultra “can support an enormous 192GB of unified memory, which is 50 percent more than M1 Ultra.”

    The new Mac Studio with M2 Max “now has higher-bandwidth HDMI,” says Apple, “enabling up to 8K resolution and 240Hz frame rates.” Per the company, with the M2 Ultra, Mac Studio can drive up to six Pro Display XDRs. It also comes with Wi-Fi 6E, and Bluetooth 5.3 connectivity.

    The new Mac Studio, which retails from $1,99, became available for pre-orders on Monday with shipping beginning next week.

    Stay tuned for additional details as they become available.

    Via AppleInsider

  • Rumor: Apple’s 27-inch mini LED external display may arrive in late 2024/early 2025

    Rumor: Apple’s 27-inch mini LED external display may arrive in late 2024/early 2025

    Following up on yesterday’s story about Apple potentially delaying or outright canceling its 27-inch mini LED external display, noted Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has offered a counter opinion. In a recent tweet, Kuo stated that mass production of the display is set to begin in late 2024 or early 2025.

    Kuo said the display would include all the features “one would expect from a high-end monitor,” likely in reference to 120Hz ProMotion support. It will also be using a new glass material backplane, a change from what is usually seen in Apple’s current lineup of products with screens.

    Kuo also stated that the new backplane will allow for the panel to be thinner and for the overall display bezels to be thinner, enabling a sleeker overall chassis.

    Apple’s Studio Display launched in 2022, alongside the Mac Studio desktop. Assuming Kuo’s 2025 estimate is correct, this would indicate a three-year time span between display generations, which is generally par for the course.

    The Pro Display XDR is more due for a refresh, launching in 2019. For a while, there were some rumors that indicated a new Pro Display XDR would arrive alongside the launch of the new Mac Pro. 9to5Mac has seen evidence that an Apple display with 7K resolution has been in development. That could be the eventual Pro Display XDR successor, whenever it arrives.

    Stay tuned for additional details as they become available.

    Via 9to5Mac and @mingchikuo