Apple designed chips that would have doubled the performance of its Ultra processors for the Mac Pro, then scrapped everything, the chips, the machine, the whole product line.
Bloomberg's Gurman reports that Apple developed "M2 Extreme" and "M3 Extreme" processors that would have offered twice the CPU and GPU cores of the Ultra chips from the same generation. Both projects were canceled due to high production costs and concerns about weak demand.
The Extreme chips were supposed to give the Mac Pro a clear performance gap over the Mac Studio. The 2023 machine shipped with the same M2 Ultra chip found in the Studio but cost thousands more, making it a hard sell even for Hollywood professionals.
Apple also explored a second path: an Intel-powered model codenamed J170 that would have used a new Intel processor, even as Apple was deep into its transition to Apple Silicon. That machine was designed for users who needed PCI-E graphics card support, something Apple Silicon doesn't offer.
A third model, codenamed J190, was planned as an M3 Ultra model meant to launch alongside the M3 Ultra Mac Studio in early 2025. It never made it either.
Gurman does not expect Apple to revive the Mac Pro. New Mac Studio models with M5 Ultra chips are reportedly planned for later this year, building on the current M3 Ultra generation that offers up to 96GB of unified memory. Apple discontinued its professional tower in March 2026, ending a 20-year run.
