Apple is working on “several new” external monitors equipped with the company’s proprietary silicon, according to a report by Bloombergby Mark Gurman. This lineup is expected to include an updated version of the Pro Display XDR, which was last released in 2019.
Besides the rumored Pro Display XDR, it’s still not entirely clear what other types of monitors Apple is planning. Supply chain analyst Ross Young says Apple could release a 27-inch mini LED display with ProMotion in Q1 2023, a possible indicator that Apple is working on an update to the 27-inch Studio Display.
Apple’s existing Pro Display XDR costs $4,999 (not including the optional $999 Pro Stand) and comes with a 32-inch 6K LCD screen that can reach 1,600 nits of brightness. But unlike the previous Pro Display XDR, this new monitor may not ship until after the release of the upcoming Mac Pro, which Gurman says is still in development.
Apple is said to have launched the Mac Pro by now to meet its goal of converting all its Macs to Apple silicon in the two years following the release of the M1 chip. However, Gurman says feature changes and a possible production move to Vietnam have caused development delays. While the Mac Pro was initially rumored to come with the option of a powerful “M2 Extreme” chip with 48 CPU cores and 152 GPU cores, Gurman says the chip’s complexity, as well as the cost and resources required to produce these may have led Apple to scrap the idea.
The Mac Pros are now expected to ship with the new M2 Ultra chip which should have up to 24 CPU cores and 76 graphics cores with the potential to support at least 192 GB of memory. Gurman says the Mac Pro also retains its expandability, allowing users to add more memory and storage space. Meanwhile, the upcoming Mac mini could come in M2 and M2 Pro variants, while Apple could launch its M2 Pro and M2 Max-equipped MacBook Pros early next year. Gurman notes that Apple is also working on an iMac Pro with Apple silicon, but that machine has “experienced internal delays for similar reasons to the Mac Pro.”
