Mac Studio skipping M4 for M5?

[SammyG7]

With the recent news of Apple’s M5 plans for their Private Cloud Compute, I wondered if it is likely that the Mac Studio skips over M4 and goes straight to M5.

Could explain the wait we’ve had for an updated machine. Does this seem likely?

 

[M4pro]

With the recent news of Apple’s M5 plans for their Private Cloud Compute, I wondered if it is likely that the Mac Studio skips over M4 and goes straight to M5.

Could explain the wait we’ve had for an updated machine. Does this seem likely?

Eeeeh…I’m not sure how many people at 2025’s Apple could even tell you the difference between the Mac Studio and the Mac Pro.

“Those desktop things…? Well I know Bob was dating someone who heard something was in the works… something desktop-y. That was before Bob left. Hey - does anyone know if Bob’s old parking spot is available? It was pretty shady I remember - and next to the commissary, the good one!”

Does that help? 😇

 

[crazy dave]

With the recent news of Apple’s M5 plans for their Private Cloud Compute, I wondered if it is likely that the Mac Studio skips over M4 and goes straight to M5.

Could explain the wait we’ve had for an updated machine. Does this seem likely?

It is one of the plausible solutions to Apple's device identifier problem:

M4 Macs
Mac16,1 MBP 14” M4
Mac16,2 iMac 24” M4 (2-port)
Mac16,3 iMac 24” M4 (4-port)
Mac16,4 DNE
Mac16,5 MBP 16” M4 Max (384b & 512b)
Mac16,6 MBP 14” M4 Max (384b & 512b)
Mac16,7 MBP 16” M4 Pro
Mac16,8 MBP 14” M4 Pro
Mac16,9 Mac Studio M4 Max (last unconfirmed device)
Mac16,10 Mac mini M4
Mac16,11 Mac mini M4 Pro
Mac16,12 MBA 13” M4
Mac16,13 MBA 15” M4

So far there are no other Mac16's BUT the latest OS did include a reference to:

Mac17,1
Mac17,2

indicating that 17th generation Macs will launch before the new OS. These could be M5 Studio and M5 Mac Pro. However with the rumors around Hidra it could be M4.5 or be something new like "P1" for Pro chip 1. Or it could be that Apple is launching some M5 hardware before the next macOS release that isn't the Studio or Pro and 16,14 and 16,15 identifiers will be found in the next OS release. I view that as the least likely, but it's possible.

 

[Boil]

• WWDC 2026
• Mac Pro Cube
• M6 Extreme
• ;^p

 

[Canadia69]

It is one of the plausible solutions to Apple's device identifier problem:

M4 Macs
Mac16,1 MBP 14” M4
Mac16,2 iMac 24” M4 (2-port)
Mac16,3 iMac 24” M4 (4-port)
Mac16,4 DNE
Mac16,5 MBP 16” M4 Max (384b & 512b)
Mac16,6 MBP 14” M4 Max (384b & 512b)
Mac16,7 MBP 16” M4 Pro
Mac16,8 MBP 14” M4 Pro
Mac16,9 Mac Studio M4 Max (last unconfirmed device)
Mac16,10 Mac mini M4
Mac16,11 Mac mini M4 Pro
Mac16,12 MBA 13” M4
Mac16,13 MBA 15” M4

So far there are no other Mac16's BUT the latest OS did include a reference to:

Mac17,1
Mac17,2

indicating that 17th generation Macs will launch before the new OS. These could be M5 Studio and M5 Mac Pro. However with the rumors around Hidra it could be M4.5 or be something new like "P1" for Pro chip 1. Or it could be that Apple is launching some M5 hardware before the next macOS release that isn't the Studio or Pro and 16,14 and 16,15 identifiers will be found in the next OS release. I view that as the least likely, but it's possible.

That being said, how sure are you that Mac16,9 is a Mac Studio? And do you think well see it at wwdc?

 

[crazy dave]

That being said, how sure are you that Mac16,9 is a Mac Studio? And do you think well see it at wwdc?

@altaic found identifying information that 16,12 and 16,13 would be the Airs and the same for the Mac Studio. He was pretty certain and the designations for the Airs have since been confirmed by MR. That also makes the Studio simply the last thing left. As for timing, Gurman believes the first M4 Studio will be released by summer at latest, but also that there might exist the Hidra device which might come later. I have no other information on timing but before or at WWDC seems reasonable.

 

[Canadia69]

@altaic found identifying information that 16,12 and 16,13 would be the Airs and the same for the Mac Studio. He was pretty certain and the designations for the Airs have since been confirmed by MR. That also makes the Studio simply the last thing left. As for timing, Gurman believes the first M4 Studio will be released by summer at latest, but also that there might exist the Hidra device which might come later. I have no other information on timing but before or at WWDC seems reasonable.

Great!! Thank you for the insight! Cant wait to get my hands on a Mac Studio...im still on a 2019 intel..really hoping for a wwdc release

 

[Sun Baked]

Not too far outside the box on that as a possibility.

Apple needs an M5 Ultra with enhanced AI for their customers soonish, before they do custom chips for themselves.

 

[Mac-key]

GEEZ! I hope not - come on Apple we NEED the M4 Studio - it's been what 2 years since the M2 was released?

 

[T'hain Esh Kelch]

Could explain the wait we’ve had for an updated machine. Does this seem likely?

The M2 Studio came 5 months after the M2 Mini. We're now at 5 months after the M4 Mini, so nothing unexpected at all, timewise.

 

[M4pro]

Maybe the M4 Max Studio and M4 MacBook Air are announced in a press release this week and go on sale March 12th.

I see Apple finally settling on these dates as a likely reason behind the puzzling initial 2-week delay, and subsequent second 2-week delay of the Mac App Store release of Control Ultimate Edition - the first AAA game with raytracing for M3 and M4 Macs.

PR name-dropping new ray-traced versions of Control and Cyberpunk 2077 (arriving later this year) made for Apple Silicon makes a lot of sense if the Max-equipped Studio is coming alongside the new MBA.

 

[Canadia69]

Maybe the M4 Max Studio and M4 MacBook Air are announced in a press release this week and go on sale March 12th.

I see Apple finally settling on these dates as a likely reason behind the puzzling initial 2-week delay, and subsequent second 2-week delay of the Mac App Store release of Control Ultimate Edition - the first AAA game with raytracing for M3 and M4 Macs.

View attachment 2487706

PR name-dropping new ray-traced versions of Control and Cyberpunk 2077 (arriving later this year) made for Apple Silicon makes a lot of sense if the Max-equipped Studio is coming alongside the new MBA.

Thats some investigation youve done! I hope ur right

 

[PieVsCake]

Control and also let's not forget that there is supposed to be a release of Cyberpunk 2077 for Apple silicon release "soon". I wouldn't be surprised if they were waiting for the new Studios to release and show them big numbers.

 

[Ifti]

I hope they don't skip, I've been waiting for a M4 Max Studio for what seems like ages!
Want to drop my laptop and move to a desktop machine finally......my first Mac desktop ever!

 

[Canadia69]

Control and also let's not forget that there is supposed to be a release of Cyberpunk 2077 for Apple silicon release "soon". I wouldn't be surprised if they were waiting for the new Studios to release and show them big numbers.

fingers super crossed! really hope this week or next week

 

[Matt2012]

Might be a case of forgetting the M5 and M4 as just read on X from Mark Gurman who says the new Studio will have an M3!
If that is true, Apple has lost the plot.

 

[MacPoulet]

Might be a case of forgetting the M5 and M4 as just read on X from Mark Gurman who says the new Studio will have an M3!
If that is true, Apple has lost the plot.

Hell, if they released an M3 Studio today, I'd still buy it.

 

[dimme]

Regardless if the new soon to be released studio is a M4 or M5, do we think Apple will keep with a 2 year release cycle for this product?

 

[M4pro]

Regardless if the new soon to be released studio is a M4 or M5, do we think Apple will keep with a 2 year release cycle for this product?

Yes - if we behave ourselves and promise to keep our room clean then Apple might hand us a new Mac Mini Pro and Mac Studio Max every couple years.

Apple is busy Adult-ing now. Fresh “Ultra” tier chips are for the servers building out next-gen Apple Intelligence infrastructure.

The Mac Pro will continue to receive some kind of update - when it’s not too much trouble, or every six years, whichever comes first.

The Mac Studio Ultra? Well Apple never expressly said they’d do that again. But - as with the Mac Pro - as long as it’s not too much trouble Apple can probably come up with… something.

 

[crazy dave]

Gurman is saying that it will be an M4 Max Studio and an M3-based Ultra Studio ... that's odd. Did they go back and add ultra fusion to the M3 Max? Normally Gurman this close in is accurate, but this makes very little sense. There are so many questions ...

 

[M4pro]

Gurman is saying that it will be an M4 Max Studio and an M3-based Ultra Studio ... that's odd. Did they go back and add ultra fusion to the M3 Max? Normally Gurman this close in is accurate, but this makes very little sense. There are so many questions ...

Mr. Irrational-Confidence-Guy doesn’t actually know much. Not really a surprise there…

“Hidra” could easily refer to the broader R&D effort to engineer the next top-performing tier of AS chips - rather than an M4 Ultra model per se.

 

[crazy dave]

Mr. Irrational-Confidence-Guy doesn’t actually know much. Not really a surprise there…

Oh agreed. His understanding is low and so his far out prognostications are suspect, especially when based on his own chain of logic rather than evidence, but usually in the past when he has said, X is happening in the next couple of weeks, his accuracy has been high.

However, the tweet is actually very not confident about what chips will be there - the actual quote is that "There are signs these will come with an M4 Max but that its new Ultra chip will actually be an M3 Ultra". So in fairness he's hedging his bets here (unlike the last time he made an almost equally puzzling prognostication that the M4 iPad Pro was launching soon that turned out to be true and he was fairly adamant it was happening). So he simply may be not understanding what the "signs" mean. Whatever those "signs" are.

Kremlinology Gurman edition.

“Hidra” could easily refer to the broad R&D effort to engineer the next “Ultra” tier of AS chips - not an M4 Ultra model per se.

Perhaps. Sure.

 

[M4pro]

Control and also let's not forget that there is supposed to be a release of Cyberpunk 2077 for Apple silicon release "soon". I wouldn't be surprised if they were waiting for the new Studios to release and show them big numbers.

One more:

Assassins's Creed Shadows is set to be released for the Mac on Thursday, March 20, Apple announced today. The game will launch on Mac at the same time as it is released for PlayStation 5, Windows machines, and the Xbox.

Playing Assassin's Creed Shadows on an Apple device requires a Mac with an Apple silicon chip, with real-time ray tracing available on M3 and M4 Macs…

 

[SammyG7]

"M3 Ultra" is a beast of a chip and only for Mac Pro.. Studio line contained to the "Pro" and "Max" silicon

that's the only way I could believe in an "M3 Ultra"

 

[crazy dave]

I was reminded on another forum there were two unused M3 chip identifiers 6033 and 6034 ... possible Ultra corollaries of the two M3 Max chips which were for some reason given distinct identifiers (not so for the M4). So we may really be looking at the release of M3 Ultras alongside M4 Max ... weird. Of course they may not call them M3s ... but ... that's the family of chips they may belong to ...