TheMac Minican do a lot of things and do them well.
But there are just certain jobs that youll need more power than even the top-of-the-line model can handle.
In those cases, its time to whip out the big guns, namely the Mac Studio.
©Photos: Sherri L. Smith/DreamSmith LLC
Plus, Apple Intelligence is baked in, so some editing tasks can be completed even faster.
And the performance is just that damn good; the price is a horse of a different color.
A tricked-out M4 Max Mac Studio will set you back $5,800.
©Photo: Sherri L. Smith/DreamSmith LLC
But if you need even more power, the M3 Ultra configuration starts at $3,999.
When I picked up the Mac Studio, however, it immediately triggered some 80s baby nostalgia.
HEFTY, HEFTY, HEFTY!
©Photo: Sherri L. Smith/Dreamsmith LLC
It makes the 1.5-pound Mac Mini feel like a paperweight.
However, that doesnt mean that the Studio is any less pretty.
Seriously, when was the last time you saw a truly ugly product design from Apple?
©Photo: Sherri L. Smith/DreamSmith LLC
While you ponder that question, Ill give you a tour of the design.
As expected, the exterior is made from silver anodized aluminum with gently rounded edges.
The iconic half-eaten apple logo is stamped in the middle of the top of the gear.
©Photo: Sherri L. Smith/DreamSmith LLC
Two Thunderbolt 5 ports and an SDXC card reader are on the Studios front.
If you flip the Studio over, youll see a protruding foot covered with holes.
Mac Studio is pressed into the very bottom of the foot.
©Photo: Sherri L. Smith/DreamSmith LLC
Apple Intelligence is baked into the Studio.
But Apple Intelligence has a few more tricks designed to make your work go just a little smoother.
Best of all, the feature can be utilized beyond Apple apps.
Youll also get a helping hand from Apple Intelligence in your Mail and Messages app and Notifications.
It will parse the information to the most important parts, making it easy to skim and go.
This particularly comes in handy when you have a long email thread.
I touched on the photo-editing capabilities at the top of the section.
you might also look for specific spots in videos.
Siri is also getting an Apple Intelligence power-up.
Apple Mac Studio Review: Software
The Mac Studio runs on the latest version of macOS Sequoia.
As a tab hoarder, the updated window tiling is my new favorite thing.
As a journalist, I conduct a fair amount of interviews.
Going back and transcribing the audio is a tedious experience that I wouldnt wish on my worst enemy.
The Notes app eliminates boredom as it now supports audio transcription.
And when I need to take benchmarking averages, Notes can become a makeshift calculator.
iPhone Mirroring lets iPhone owners interact with the smartphone via the desktop.
Being able to check my phones notifications without having to grab my phone is a definite time saver.
As scammers become more sophisticated with AI scamming tools, having a different password for every login is vital.
The Passwords feature eliminates all that hassle, storing your passwords in one place, protected by end-to-end encryption.
Assassins Creed Shadows will also make an appearance on Macs.
Apple Mac Studio Review: Performance
Theres work, and thereswork.
Thats what Apple has in mind with its M3 Ultra and M4 Max chipsets.
Resizing a cache of 300 RAW photos to 1080p in Photoshop?
Done in 1 minute and 12 seconds.
Rendering five 10-minute 4K videos on DaVinci Resolve?
Completed in an average of 2 minutes and 53 seconds.
Its annoyingly good, and I vow to find something to trip this thing up.
Maybe a flight simulator or some RAW video files?
But for now, the Mac Studio considers my regular workflow a joke.
And btw, I barely heard the fans outside of a soothing whir at times.
The Studio also had a big laugh at the expense of the synthetic benchmarks.
For instance, it notched 3,926 on the single-core version of the Geekbench 6 test with a corresponding 25,885.
The Studio also kept its pace on the multi-core section, scoring 25,885.
The Tiki took second place with 21,753, and the Gamer Supreme took third with 17,148.
Apple Mac Studio Review: Verdict
The Mac Studio is in a class of its own.
While massive compared to the Mac Mini, the Studio gets the job done and stays pretty quiet.
Is it a bit of a chunky customer?
Thats a wild proposition in any economy.
However, the Apple Mac Studio is best in class for the worlds heavy-duty coders and creative professionals.
News from the future, delivered to your present.
Meta Pissed Off Everyone With Poorly Redacted Docs
Meta is being very transparent on accident.
Apple, Are You Okay?
I need Apple to blink once for yes and twice for no, because it’s getting weird.
