So we have an idea of what to expect with the performance of the M1 Max in the Mac Studio. Last October, I reviewed the 14-inch MacBook Pro with an M1 Pro, and that was followed by Jason Snell’s benchmarks that compared the M1 Pro and M1 Max. The Mac Studio in this review has an M1 Max, which has the same 10-core CPU as the M1 Pro in the MacBook Pro. That might be enough for most people, but you can find four-port Thunderbolt hubs for a lot less than $1,599. There will no doubt be plenty designed to match the Mac Studio’s aesthetic, or you can get three USB-C ports if you decide to invest in the Apple Studio Display. The Mac Studio has plenty of ports for most people, but if you have a complicated setup, you’ll probably still want to invest in a Thunderbolt dock or a hub. The Mac Studio doesn’t need such a cable, though it is a nice braided one like on the HomePod, giving it an added touch of durability. It also doesn’t have the iMac’s nifty power brick with a built-in ethernet plug. The Mac Studio doesn’t have a magnetic connector like the 24-inch iMac instead, it uses a standard three-prong plug for the power adapter. While we set up the Mac Studio here with two displays, it can support up to five. ![]() 3.5 mm headphone jack with support for high impedance headphones.But the Mac mini and Mac Pro have always had multiple port offerings, so the surprise that the Mac Studio does too can only be explained by misperception.Īpple almost nailed it when it comes to the Mac Studio’s ports. Shoot, The Verge posted not one, but two articles and yammered all about it in its podcast. So when the Mac Studio made its debut, there was a vocal crowd of folks who were relieved and rejoiced in its port offerings, particularly the availability of USB-A. Apple’s past MacBooks had Thunderbolt or vanilla USB-C ports, and that seemed to evolve into this idea that Apple limited its port offerings in all of its Macs. Sure, the Mac Studio is basically a silver metal box, but it’s instantly recognizable as an Apple product -and not just because of the big Apple logo on the top.Ĭompared to the G4 Cube, the Mac Studio’s design is quite conservative, but it is the upgraded Power Mac G4 Cube we waited 22 years for. Apple now prioritizes practical designs, and then embellishes them to make them have that Apple look and feel. But gone are the days of Apple taking serious design risks, like with a cube, a chrome cantilever arm, or a cylinder. As a new entry in Apple’s Mac lineup, it would’ve been cool to see Apple do something unique. If you want to criticize Apple for unoriginality, I understand that-Apple basically took the Mac mini design and expanded it. Compared to the various performance PCs on the market with their see-through cases, LED piping, and yes, even fins, the Mac Studio is, quite simply, elegant. I found that after using it for a week and experiencing the Mac Studio’s performance, I appreciate the design even more-it’s powerful, a big block of muscle computing, sitting on the desk. One reader said, “It is a shoebox painted silver and looks terrible.” And my cohorts over at PCWorld had fun mocking the design (granted, they make fun of anything Apple does). Taste is a personal preference, and in a news article about the Mac Studio I said it looks “elegant.” And boy, that word triggered a lot of people, based on the emails and tweets I got. While small, however, the Mac Studio isn’t meant to be a portable Mac, so you won’t be grabbing it nearly as often as a MacBook Pro. The Mac Studio’s top and bottom edges are quite sharp- by comparison, the MacBook Pro has smooth, rounded edges. The Mac Studio is available only in silver-as is the Studio Display, so they match nicely. The bottom of the Mac Studio has the product logo surrounded by air vents. When placed underneath the Studio Display, there’s about an inch’s worth of clearance. ![]() It measures 7.7 inches square, the same as the Mac mini, but it’s 3.7 inches tall, nearly thrice the height of the Mac mini. Saying the Mac Studio looks like a Mac mini on steroids is a pretty spot-on way to describe it. ![]() Add to that an attractive mix of features, and you’ll find in Mac Studio a computer that is attractive to any power user, regardless of the kind of work they do. But here’s the thing: the Mac Studio’s performance over the M1 in the Mac mini or 24-inch iMac isn’t just a marginal boost like we used to see with Intel-based Macs-it’s a serious speed improvement. The Mac Studio is ideal for content creators of any level. They’re also Macs that are an investment and are anything but affordable for general consumers. The Macs being introduced late in the transition are meant for users who think M1 fast isn’t fast enough and they need every ounce of processing power they can get. Price comparison from over 24,000 stores worldwideĪs the M1 rollout continues in the Mac lineup, Apple is now in the part of the cycle where the computers aren’t for everyone.
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