Here's Why Apple is Unlikely to Release an M4 Ultra Chip for Macs - MacRumors
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Here's Why Apple is Unlikely to Release an M4 Ultra Chip for Macs

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The new Mac Studio is available with mismatched M4 Max and M3 Ultra chip options. Will there be an M4 Ultra chip in the future, though? It looks unlikely.

M4 Max and M3 Ultra
Here are three reasons why Apple might never release an M4 Ultra chip.

First, among Apple's line of Mac chips, the highest-end Ultra chips are effectively two Max chips fused together with a technology called UltraFusion. So, the M1 Ultra chip is two M1 Max chips combined, and the M2 Ultra chip is two M2 Max chips combined. However, Apple confirmed that the M4 Max chip lacks an UltraFusion connector, so that means Apple cannot simply release a doubled-up M4 Ultra chip this time around.

Second, Apple told several journalists and YouTubers that not every generation of Mac chips will have an "Ultra" chip. The timing of Apple revealing this information suggests that we might never get an M4 Ultra chip.

The third reason was shared by Bloomberg's Mark Gurman today.

In his Power On newsletter, he said that Apple is reluctant to develop an M4 Ultra chip from scratch due to production challenges, costs, and the relatively small sales volume of its desktop computers, like the Mac Studio. So, that seems to rule out the only other way in which Apple could have released an M4 Ultra chip.

Maybe we will see UltraFusion return on the M5 Max chip, paving the way for an M5 Ultra chip?

Tag: Apple Silicon Guide

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Top Rated Comments

R
redmac
15 months ago

Am I crazy? I could have sworn they said a while back that m3 didn't have ultrafusion
Apple never said anything about M3’s ultrafusion status. It was the leakers and YouTubers like Max Tech who speculated about it.
Score: 18 Votes (Like | Disagree)
K
kwikdeth
15 months ago
Am I crazy? I could have sworn they said a while back that m3 didn't have ultrafusion
Score: 16 Votes (Like | Disagree)
S
Sippincider
15 months ago
Myself: Need to update this 27" iMac.
Apple: We don't make those anymore. Get a Studio.
Myself: (Much grumbling) Alright then, an M4 Ultra Studio would have to do.
Apple: We don't make those. Either get an M3 or wait for maybe the M5.
Myself: 🤦‍♂️🤦‍♂️🤦‍♂️
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
KENESS Avatar
KENESS
15 months ago

Am I crazy? I could have sworn they said a while back that m3 didn't have ultrafusion
They never said it. People said it. People were wrong.
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
jz0309 Avatar
jz0309
15 months ago
Or, they moved on from Ultrafusion to chiplets? The Max die is ginormous…

Still seems more likely M5 will bring back the Ultra and/or something else.
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
I
iBug2
15 months ago
The Pro market changed. I'm the Pro market. I shoot and edit film. And use an M1 Max MBP. It's enough for me, and I shoot 8K. The people who definitely need a Mac Pro are so few these days, I can kinda understand Apple's position on this.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
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