Do you think Mac Studio will be around for a while?

[ryan101]

I am thinking about buying a Mac Studio. I understand it's not upgradeable at all (after you buy).

I know Apple has launched a few products recently and then stopped making them. The 12" MacBook comes to mind. I don't want to buy a product that may get discontinued around the corner. So, I am wondering if the Mac Studio is popular or not, and if it's selling in the quantities they expected?

Thoughts, opinions and advice are welcome.
Thank you.

 

[oasantos1]

I don't see it going away.
Even if it does get discontinued, it won't change the functionality of your machine.
If you need it, go for it.

 

[clv101]

Why would it matter if the product line was discontinued? It would make no difference to your machine.

 

[GlenK]

I won't buy another one due to bluetooth issues. I have an Ultra M1 and none of my keyboard, mouse, or trackpad stay connected. It got better keeping the trackpad connected by wire to the Studio all the time but they do still randomly lose connection.

 

[JonnyMacx86]

This is the new Mac Pro. With Thunderbolt 4 external expansion is much more viable than in the heyday of PCI-E, so unless there's a really specific reason you need expansion, the Mac Studio is the one for most people. That said, I wouldn't worry so much if they'll be discontinued. A Mac is a Mac, and if it has all the I/O you need for today, it's the right choice. Worry about your next Mac after you get this one! 😜

 

[Pressure]

I won't buy another one due to bluetooth issues. I have an Ultra M1 and none of my keyboard, mouse, or trackpad stay connected. It got better keeping the trackpad connected by wire to the Studio all the time but they do still randomly lose connection.

That's a pretty isolated "you" problem.

You could have a lot of interference on the 2.4GHz spectrum causing issues with Bluetooth.

 

[SpecFoto]

I am thinking about buying a Mac Studio. I understand it's not upgradeable at all (after you buy).
......

Have been using Macs since they came out and the Mac Studio M2 Max is by far the best one I have every owned. The 4 TB3 ports do give it "upgradable flexibility", I am using an external 4TB WD Black 850X in a USB/4 enclosure as my startup drive and getting 3,200 MB/s R/W speeds. The internal 1TB SSD is just a Photoshop cache disk. Probably in 2 years I will be using the same enclosure but with a 8TB NVMe SSD... that upgradability. The TB3 ports give me excellent external drive storage capability, I have 2 sets of a 12TB JBOD SSD's and 2 sets of 8TB RAID SSD's for my extensive photo library and immediate backup (20TB and 20TB backup). Those can be increased in capacity in the future with swapping out the internal SSD's from 4TB to 8TB which would give me 40TB and 40TB backup. All while using the same Mac Studio, which is extremely quiet and does not generate heat like my Mac Pro 2012 or iMac 2019 did.

I did buy 64GB of ram, the most I have ever had, and this extra $200 cost over 32GB was my insurance that this Mac Studio will be used for many, many years.

Regarding the bluetooth comment by another poster, I am using a Logi MX Keys for Mac via bluetooth and it is great. It takes about 2 or 3 keystrokes for the Mac Studio to recognize it at startup, but then it works just seamlessly and without issue. It goes for about 10-14 days before I need to charge, and it is simply by hooking up a short USB-C cable from front of the Max Studio ports to the keyboard for a hour or so and then it is back at 100%. Really convenient having the 2 USC-C ports on the front of the Mac Studio.

 

[b17777]

I won't buy another one due to bluetooth issues. I have an Ultra M1 and none of my keyboard, mouse, or trackpad stay connected. It got better keeping the trackpad connected by wire to the Studio all the time but they do still randomly lose connection.

I have an Apple keyboard and mouse and have never had an issue.

 

[Fumblerooskie]

Love mine, zero bluetooth issues (had plenty with the trash can Mac Pro), but max it out as much as you can afford due to the lack of upgradability.

 

[splifingate]

I am thinking about buying a Mac Studio. I understand it's not upgradeable at all (after you buy).

I know Apple has launched a few products recently and then stopped making them. The 12" MacBook comes to mind. I don't want to buy a product that may get discontinued around the corner. So, I am wondering if the Mac Studio is popular or not, and if it's selling in the quantities they expected?

Thoughts, opinions and advice are welcome.
Thank you.

Aye: there's always a progression to discontinuance with any tech purchase; but, AAPL hardware regularly stands the test of time.

My ~13y/o 2012 MP5,1 still functions and performs nicely (not to mention a double-handful of other devices (both AAPL, and PC)).

I expect no less than a comparable lifespan for my '23 M2-Max Studio

 

[Allen_Wentz]

I won't buy another one due to bluetooth issues. I have an Ultra M1 and none of my keyboard, mouse, or trackpad stay connected. It got better keeping the trackpad connected by wire to the Studio all the time but they do still randomly lose connection.

?? Bluetooth issues with one device does not mean the device category has something wrong with it. Why did you not get it repaired under warranty?

 

[Allen_Wentz]

I am thinking about buying a Mac Studio. I understand it's not upgradeable at all (after you buy).

I know Apple has launched a few products recently and then stopped making them. The 12" MacBook comes to mind. I don't want to buy a product that may get discontinued around the corner. So, I am wondering if the Mac Studio is popular or not, and if it's selling in the quantities they expected?

Thoughts, opinions and advice are welcome.
Thank you.

The Studio is very nicely engineered and I expect it to be around quite a while. But even if they only made one generation it would still be a great piece of hardware.

 

[drrich2]

I think it's going to be around quite awhile. My reasoning:

1.) The Mac Mini is cool, but not seen as high end.

2.) For whatever reason, Apple has moved away from pushing the larger iMac's as mid. range and moderate high end Macs.

3.) The Mac Pro is ridiculously expensive for most, without enough advantage to justify it even for many people who technically could make the painful sacrifice to buy it.

4.) The Studio sits nicely as the mid. high-end range Mac, somewhat modular, but with RAM and SSD internally locked into Apple's high priced upgrade scheme.

5.) The Studio gets good reviews and has a strong reputation for high performance. It's the 'serious' Mac.

6.) I doubt Apple will turn it into a mini-tower; people might get ideas of putting a cheaper 3rd party SSD in and booting from that rather than paying Apple's high upgrade price, or having to rely on an external Thunderbolt 3 drive, etc...

7.) Notebook computers are fine for what they are, but some people prefer a dedicated desktop computer. Notebooks require you to buy the screen, they're 'all in one' and at least in year's past, and not specific to Macs, I think were seen as less likely to last a long time. It'd be interesting to know the odds of a Studio vs. a MacBook Pro with similar spec.s failing within, say 7-years. It stands to reason notebooks have less internal free space and perhaps air flow?

Considering how Apple appears to operate, and the current differentiation of their line, I think the Studio is likely to persist.

 

[ryan101]

Thanks all for your comments. I was asking if it's likely to be around because in my opinion the product lines that are around tend to have more users and support and you tend to have wider choice of repairers that you can go to.

I know I want to buy it. I look at these as a minimum 10 year investment, so I like to make sure I get the product I am going to be comfortable with. My MacBooks normally last 10 years and I expect iMacs to last about 15 years. My iMac is mid/late 2012, the thin version as it just came out, it's an i7 with 32GB RAM which I upgraded. It's very fast, no issues. It has a crack on the outer glass, otherwise it feels like it's got many years left. BUT the big problem is that I can no longer update the OS any further, so some of the new apps won't work on Catalina which is very frustrating. I sometimes think they do this on purpose, to force people to upgrade.

Anyway, it's good to hear that some people have positives things to say about it.

Would you buy a used Mac Studio? I have seen some used ones at fair prices.

 

[Geoff777]

I think it's here to stay for many years. The form factor is brilliant, the specs are brilliant. It's a bit expensive if you buy with a Studio Display, but you don't have to. I was waiting for a new M series 27" iMac..... opted for this instead and very happy.

 

[ryan101]

I think it's here to stay for many years. The form factor is brilliant, the specs are brilliant. It's a bit expensive if you buy with a Studio Display, but you don't have to. I was waiting for a new M series 27" iMac..... opted for this instead and very happy.

I’m actually a big fan of the 27 inch iMac. I was gutted when they stopped doing that series and now they have this 24 inch model that is mediocre at best. I’m not talking about the design. I’m neutral about the design, but the specs on the 27 inch model are not great. I think the specs on the Mac studio is great but it is expensive. I hate the fact that they’ve made it not upgradable via independence. I think that was a very cynical move they did. Anyway they are way too powerful now so our voice doesn’t matter. I was never going to get their monitor. I think the monitor is a complete rip off. You might be a good monitor but it’s too expensive for what it is. It’s only people who have lots of money or like very expensive toys that will buy. Thanks for your advice.

 

[greenmeanie]

They will kill of the Mac Pro before the Studio.

 

[ryan101]

They will kill of the Mac Pro before the Studio.

I am assuming its because its such a small niche or something. It shockingly expensive. I suppose if you are serious movie editors, musician or architecture person requiring 3D it might be worth paying. But I rarely meet anyone who owns one. I badly wanted another 27" iMac. I love my iMac. I was actually looking forward to treating myself to a new one, and then they came out with the new series with basic specs. It was a real disappointment.

Do you guys know when the new series of Studios will get released?

 

[Geoff777]

Do you guys know when the new series of Studios will get released?

The pinned thread at top of this section has loads of ideas which might help.

Mac Studio Speculation [Merged]

Gurman wrote today: "Apple is planning to release M3 MacBook Airs in just a few months. [...] The move means there’s only a couple Macs left that don’t have the latest processor generation: the Mac Studio and Mac Pro. But they probably won’t get upgraded until the end of 2024 at the earliest, if...

forums.macrumors.com

Apparently the M3 base is going to be close to M2 Ultra in power so some are holding off buying the M2.
I needed one sooner as my 27" iMac is showing signs of age, so I got an M2 Max. It is so fast at pretty much everything I have no regrets about not waiting for the M3 version. Probably would be wasted on me!

 

[ryan101]

The pinned thread at top of this section has loads of ideas which might help.

Mac Studio Speculation [Merged]

Gurman wrote today: "Apple is planning to release M3 MacBook Airs in just a few months. [...] The move means there’s only a couple Macs left that don’t have the latest processor generation: the Mac Studio and Mac Pro. But they probably won’t get upgraded until the end of 2024 at the earliest, if...

forums.macrumors.com

Apparently the M3 base is going to be close to M2 Ultra in power so some are holding off buying the M2.
I needed one sooner as my 27" iMac is showing signs of age, so I got an M2 Max. It is so fast at pretty much everything I have no regrets about not waiting for the M3 version. Probably would be wasted on me!

Hi Geof, the main reason I am waiting is because I am considering buying a used one. I am on a limited budget. I find people want the latest one and more of them come out in the used marketplace when a new one comes out.

 

[Homy]

I won't buy another one due to bluetooth issues. I have an Ultra M1 and none of my keyboard, mouse, or trackpad stay connected. It got better keeping the trackpad connected by wire to the Studio all the time but they do still randomly lose connection.

I have a Logitech G603 mouse and Sennheiser 250BT headphones and use them for gaming too with my Mac Studio M1 Max and never have disconnection.

 

[Geoff777]

Hi Geof, the main reason I am waiting is because I am considering buying a used one. I am on a limited budget. I find people want the latest one and more of them come out in the used marketplace when a new one comes out.

Hi Ryan, that's a very good reason. I think most of us are on tight budgets these days! I would suggest looking at Apple's refurbished store..... not sure how trustworthy stuff from E-Bay or Carousell is! Good luck.

 

[ryan101]

Sorry guys, is it possible to upgrade the RAM on Mac Studion after you buy it? I assume not, but I wanted to double-check it.

 

[ColdCase]

I won't buy another one due to bluetooth issues. I have an Ultra M1 and none of my keyboard, mouse, or trackpad stay connected. It got better keeping the trackpad connected by wire to the Studio all the time but they do still randomly lose connection.

I haven't had a BlueTooth issue with my M1 Max 2022 since day one (well over a year). Do you have interference from a misbehaving USB device? I had a plug in car phone charger that would kill any nearby BlueTooth as soon as I plugged it in. These things can be nasty.

 

[Strider64]

I am thinking about buying a Mac Studio. I understand it's not upgradeable at all (after you buy).

I know Apple has launched a few products recently and then stopped making them. The 12" MacBook comes to mind. I don't want to buy a product that may get discontinued around the corner. So, I am wondering if the Mac Studio is popular or not, and if it's selling in the quantities they expected?

Thoughts, opinions and advice are welcome.
Thank you.

I bought the 64 GB version of the Mac Studio Max M1 and still very happy with it as it suits my computing needs. Don't have problems with it my mouse or keyboard disconnecting. My advice especially with Apple is to make sure you have enough ram even you don't think you will initially need it and that goes for practically every Apple device.