Apple has completed its transition to Apple silicon, with the Mac Pro being the last to make the switch. The new Mac Pro features the same M2 Ultra chip as the Mac Studio, but with a larger chassis and more expansion options, including six open PCI slots. The Mac Pro is designed for professionals who need specific expansion cards, such as sound cards, I/O cards, and storage cards, and is not intended for most consumers. The Mac Studio, on the other hand, offers top-of-the-line performance at a lower price point and is a better option for most users. The reviewer notes that the Mac Pro's existence is justified for specific workflows, but acknowledges that it may seem unnecessary to many users.
Here are the key facts extracted from the text:
1. Apple has completed its Apple Silicon transition, with every Mac now running Apple Silicon from top to bottom of their lineup.
2. The Mac Pro was the last Mac to get the Apple Silicon upgrade.
3. The new Mac Pro has the same M2 Ultra chip as the Mac Studio.
4. The M2 Ultra chip has 192 cores and up to 192 gigs of shared memory.
5. The M2 Ultra chip is built into the Apple Silicon chip, making external GPU cards unnecessary.
6. The Mac Pro has six open PCI expansion slots, which is the main reason it exists.
7. The Mac Pro's PCI slots are not for video cards or GPUs, but for expansion slots, sound cards, i/o cards, storage cards, and networking cards.
8. The Mac Pro has more I/O ports than the Mac Studio, including eight Thunderbolt ports and two HDMI 2.1 ports.
9. The Mac Studio is a more affordable option for most people, offering top-of-the-line performance at a lower price point.
10. The Mac Pro is designed for professional users who need specific expansion options, such as sound engineers, video editors, and music producers.
11. The Mac Pro does not support external GPU cards.
12. The Mac Pro's storage can be expanded using PCI SSD cards, such as the OWC's 8m2 PCI SSD.
13. The Mac Pro's design is similar to the Intel Mac Pro, with the same chassis, but with a new chip on the inside.
14. Apple has a history of reusing designs for the first generation of a new product, and then redesigning it for the second generation.