According to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, an upgraded version of MacStudio could be launched as soon as this week. The new machine is expected to be equipped with the M4 Max chip, which we first saw in the 2024 MacBook Pro models, but Apple is apparently not ready with the M4 Ultra chip. Instead it may be a version of MacStudio using the M3Ultra chip.
Apple did not launch the M3 Ultra chip at the same time as the M3 chip lineup, so although it is not part of the current M4 series, it is at least a new chip. The current MacStudio and MacPro both use M2Ultra chips.
Apple Silicon "Ultra" chips have historically been two "Max" chips connected together, but M3 Max does not support the UltraFusion interconnect function, so M3 Ultra is likely to be a separate chip that is different from the previously launched Ultra chips, so we don't fully know its performance yet, but Apple can more flexibly adjust the processor core and increase GPU performance within the scope of the chip area. Gurman believes that Apple may choose to use M3Ultra in MacStudio to distinguish it from future MacPros using M4Ultra chips.
Gurman had some difficulty predicting when MacStudio would come to market, possibly due to Apple's changing plans. Last year, he said MacStudio would launch in mid-2025 around WWDC. Later, he said that this time point will be after the MacBook Air, and he believes that the MacBook Air will be launched before the iPhone 16e and the new iPad Air.
Earlier this week, Apple CEO Tim Cook posted a picture of "There's something in the air" on social media to tease the launch of new products. So far, Apple has updated the iPad Air and low-cost iPad. The MacBook Air is also rumored to be getting an update this week, and now we might also get MacStudio, although it doesn't have "Air" in the name.