Apple made its intentions clear when it announced the M3 Ultra for the updated Mac Studio, hinting that an M4 Ultra launch was not on the cards. Fortunately, we never know what is going on behind closed doors, and need to rely on internal code to get to the bottom of the company’s plans. On this occasion, we have learned that the technology giant is still developing Apple Silicon, and it features a unique identifier, with the possibility that it will power an updated version of the company’s most powerful and most expensive computer, the Mac Pro.
The design of the M4 Ultra could be a single, monolithic die, with the Apple Silicon featuring the codename ‘Hidra’
Given that the M3 Ultra saw the light of day and the M4 Ultra did not, it suggests that Apple had scrapped development. After all, the Cupertino firm must invest millions into researching and developing a silicon that will hardly sell in large quantities because the machines featuring those chipsets cost a small fortune. Fortunately, even though the company has yet to introduce the M4 Ultra, it does not mean that engineers are not working on it, because internal code published by the company and spotted by Macworld hints otherwise.
However, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman previously pointed out that the M4 Ultra’s production challenges prevent Apple from materializing a launch, which is why we only see the M3 Ultra powering the Mac Studio’s innards. Details from the latest report mention a unique identifier ‘t8152,’ with the M4 Ultra also being recognized by its codename ‘Hidra,’ though a separate rumor claimed that the latter would be an entirely different Apple Silicon. While we are pleased to hear that work continues on the M4 Ultra, it is up to the California-based giant to decide the unveiling.
Keep in mind that when Apple introduced the Mac Studio and Mac Pro with the M2 Ultra, both machines, featuring the same number of CPU and GPU cores, had a whopping $3,000 difference between them, making it the equivalent of a high-end MacBook Pro. Naturally, there is a cost perspective to these launches, and if Apple believes it cannot generate substantial revenue from the M4 Ultra, its development will likely remain in limbo. Also, keep in mind that the M4 Max lacks an UltraFusion connector, meaning that the company likely did not have plans to introduce an M4 Ultra, and if it did, the SoC would feature a single, monolithic die, making it costly to design and mass-produce.
News Source: Macworld
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