Top Stories: All-New Mac Pro in Testing, AirTag Updates, and More

It's Christmas Eve, but that doesn't mean there hasn't been much in the way of Apple news and rumors in recent days as we've been hearing details about Apple's plans for the Mac Pro, iPhone SE, and more.

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In other news, Apple has detailed changes it made in a couple of recent AirTags firmware updates, while the company appears to have pulled back a new Home app architecture it began offering to users with iOS 16.2 and macOS Ventura 13.1. Read on below for details on these stories and more!

New Mac Pro in Testing, But 'M2 Extreme' Chip Likely Canceled

Apple continues to test an all-new Mac Pro with an M2 Ultra chip, but the company has likely abandoned plans to offer a higher-end "M2 Extreme" chip, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman.

mac pro m2 extreme canceled
Gurman said the Mac Pro with the M2 Ultra chip will be available with up to a 24-core CPU, up to a 76-core GPU, and at least 192GB of RAM. Like the current Mac Pro, he expects the new model to remain expandable with additional memory, storage, and more.

The current Intel-based Mac Pro was released in December 2019 and starts at $5,999 in the United States. Barring any further delays, the new model will presumably launch in 2023.

Latest Rumors for Every Mac: When to Expect New Models

Beyond the Mac Pro, several other Macs are expected to be updated next year. For example, new 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models with M2 Pro and M2 Max chips are expected to launch in early 2023. A new Mac mini with M2 chips is also rumored.

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This week, we recapped the latest rumors for every Mac that Apple sells, including the MacBook Pro, MacBook Air, iMac, Mac mini, Mac Studio, and Mac Pro.

Apple Said to Cancel or Postpone iPhone SE 4

Apple plans to either cancel or postpone mass production of the fourth-generation iPhone SE, according to analyst Ming-Chi Kuo.

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Kuo originally expected the next iPhone SE to launch in 2024, but he said these plans are likely to change due to consistently lower-than-expected shipments of mid-to-low-end iPhone models, such as the third-generation iPhone SE, iPhone 13 mini, and iPhone 14 Plus.

Apple Pulls iOS 16.2 Option to Upgrade to New Home Architecture

One of iOS 16.2's key new features is the ability to upgrade to a new Home app architecture. While Apple hasn't shared details on exactly what the changes are, the company said the upgrade offers "improved performance and reliability" for HomeKit accessories.

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After some users who upgraded the Home app complained about technical issues, it appears that Apple has removed the option to upgrade the Home app for now.

Apple Reveals What's New in Latest AirTag Firmware Updates

Apple recently released two firmware updates for its AirTag accessory, and the company has since outlined what's new in the updates.

AitTag New Firmware
One of the firmware updates introduces some features promised by Apple earlier this year to help prevent AirTags from being used for stalking purposes. The other update resolves an issue with the AirTag's accelerometer not activating in some scenarios.

The 'Trashcan' Mac Pro: Remembering One of Apple's Most Controversial Designs

This week marked the ninth anniversary of Apple releasing the so-called "trashcan" Mac Pro, providing an opportunity to reflect on one of Apple's most controversial hardware designs.

mac pro creativity
While the "trashcan" Mac Pro had a beautiful design, it was not modular, leading to complaints from professional users about its lack of upgradeability over the years. The computer was discontinued in 2019.

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Each week, we publish an email newsletter like this highlighting the top Apple stories, making it a great way to get a bite-sized recap of the week hitting all of the major topics we've covered and tying together related stories for a big-picture view.

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Top Rated Comments

orderoftheditch Avatar
10 months ago
The trash can Mac Pro is what the Mac Studio should have been. The tall Mac Mini design is quite uninspiring, particularly for something Apple wants people to put on their desks.
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
macduke Avatar
10 months ago
I think the Intel Mac Pro will be around for a while. Why would anyone go for a Mac Pro that is limited to 192GB RAM and an Ultra chip they can already get in a more affordable Mac Studio? I think the current Mac Pro supports 1.5TB of RAM. None of this makes any sense.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
BobSc Avatar
10 months ago

The trash can Mac Pro is what the Mac Studio should have been. The tall Mac Mini design is quite uninspiring, particularly for something Apple wants people to put on their desks.
I had the trashcan Mac. It's design was OK. The Mac Studio's design is superb. Puts the trashcan to shame. The Studio's design is perfect. It is elegant.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
bobjob186 Avatar
10 months ago

I had the trashcan Mac. It's design was OK. The Mac Studio's design is superb. Puts the trashcan to shame. The Studio's design is perfect. It is elegant.
The Trashcan Mac Pro is an amazing design, but access to ports has always been such a pain and unfortunately cable management is difficult as well. You want to see the machine on your desk, but the backside has 8 cables connected to it and it's hard to make it look clean. It's almost like the Mac Studio design is better because it's so innocuous that you don't care about how beautiful it is and you just put it away off to the side or even under your desk.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
theorist9 Avatar
10 months ago

The trash can Mac Pro is what the Mac Studio should have been. The tall Mac Mini design is quite uninspiring, particularly for something Apple wants people to put on their desks.
Agreed, the design is uninteresting. But I think they were going for this aesthetic, where the Studio matches the ASD and XDR. Plus it appears they wanted something squatter than than the Trashcan, so that it could sit below the bottom of the monitor.



Attachment Image
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Boil Avatar
10 months ago

Gurman said the Mac Pro with the M2 Ultra chip will be available with up to a 24-core CPU, up to a 76-core GPU, and at least 192GB of RAM. Like the current Mac Pro, he expects the new model to remain expandable with additional memory, storage, and more.
Poor writing on the part of MacRumors, as the highlighted section reads as if 192GB of RAM is the minimum ("at least"), when the truth of it is that 192GB of RAM should be the maximum for a M2 Ultra SoC...?

If 192GB of RAM was the minimum, the base ASi Mac Pro would be well above the current (2019 Intel Mac Pro) US$5999 starting cost, which would be problematic for many..?
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)

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