Whereas Apple might have intended to release its most potent Mac processor ever at one point in time, it is now known that no such processor will be released. It appears that Apple had planned to develop "Extreme" versions of its Apple Silicon chips for use in the Mac Pro before cancelling the project on account of extremely high development costs and low market interest.The report sheds light on what Apple’s overall desktop strategy has been since then and helps to explain why the Mac Pro was increasingly marginalized in favor of the Mac Studio.About The AuthorJournalist and a writer with a strong interest in news, culture, technology, and human-interest stories. Passionate about making complex topics accessible and engaging.Apple was reportedly working on an 'Extreme' chipAs reported by Gurman, Apple had developed internal M2 Extreme and M3 Extreme processors in the early stages of the Apple Silicon transition process. These processors were designed to come above the current Ultra lineup and provide twice the number of CPU and GPU cores compared to Apple's top-end processors.In case these plans came to life, these processors would power future Mac Pros, thus providing the company’s workstations with an obvious performance advantage over the Mac Studio.However, Apple allegedly cancelled the program before both processors hit the market due to the expense of their development and low demand for such an ultra-premium desktop PC, as it would attract only a narrow group of professionals.The existence of these processors has never been officially acknowledged by Apple.Why the Mac Pro gradually lost its placeIt is also possible to find out the reason for the Mac Pro becoming hard to justify among other desktop computers of Apple.In 2023, Apple created the Apple Silicon Mac Pro which uses the M2 Ultra chip, just like the Mac Studio does. Even though the Mac Pro keeps features like PCIe expansion slots and its legendary tower form factor, the performance level of that computer was almost the same as that of Mac Studio, which costs much less.More articles by AuthorTrending StoriesIt became harder and harder for Apple to justify such price gap. The Mac Pro did not change much, while the Mac Studio got new chips and updates, making the most expensive computer of Apple's lineup unable to offer any performance boost.As the report suggests, Apple has decided to discontinue the Mac Pro and concentrate on the Mac Studio.Other Mac Pro projects reportedly never launchedIt is further claimed that Apple was working on other Mac Pro versions that had been abandoned before they came into market.This particular machine reportedly had the code name “J170” and was an Intel-based Mac Pro despite Apple's announcement to shift to Apple Silicon chipsets. The machine was apparently meant for professional use and could run applications only through the Intel architecture.Additionally, there was another unreleased machine called “J190” which was rumored to feature the M3 Ultra chipset. It was apparently set to be launched along with the Mac Studio, but according to Gurman, Apple decided not to proceed with this variant too.Both devices have never been announced.Mac Studio becomes Apple's desktop focusIt is assumed that Apple has focused on the development of Mac Studio instead of having two different high-end desktop series due to the reported cancellation of the Extreme chip.The Mac Studio has gradually emerged as Apple's favourite workstation as it provides powerful processors but in a reduced form factor and at a much lower cost compared to the earlier Mac Pro.Gurman reports that Apple has already begun working on the new Mac Studio with M5 Ultra chips, which will be launched this year or even in late 2023. There has been no news of Mac Pro replacement following the cancellation of Mac Pro.Even though Apple still sells Mac Studio, there has been no information from Apple regarding its plans for Mac Pro line.Why Apple may have changed courseThe design of a brand-new line of chips for such a specialized product also comes at a high cost. Apple already manufactures several types of processors every year for its iPhone, iPad and Mac lines, and launching an "Extreme" class would require further engineering and production effort.On top of that, the number of people who need the workstation-class desktop experience is relatively small in comparison to the total pool of Mac owners.For numerous designers, developers and video editors, the existing Mac Studio provides more than enough performance for their tasks. With no considerable growth in demand, an even more powerful Mac Pro could be hard to justify.Apple has not confirmed the reportLike many reports published by Gurman about Apple, none of the details have been officially verified by the tech giant. Apple has made no comment about the M2 Extreme or M3 Extreme chips or the cancelled Mac Pro project.However, if true, this gives us a rare peek at the products and technologies that had been developed but never made their way to the consumers. It further shows how Apple is increasingly moving towards efficiency, cost, and market demand while designing its professional desktop computers. FAQsWhat was the 'Extreme' chip from Apple?As per the report by Bloomberg, Apple had been working on "Extreme" variants of Apple's Silicon processor line, M2 Extreme and M3 Extreme, that were said to have double the number of CPU and GPU cores compared to Ultra models. The processors were said to be built for the upcoming Mac Pro line of products.Why did Apple discontinue the Extreme chip?Apple discontinued the project because of high developmental cost and the lack of demand for an ultra-performance desktop processor. There has been no official confirmation from Apple regarding the same.Will there be a Mac Pro release by Apple?Nothing official from Apple about that. But the report says that Apple currently is concentrating on its Mac Studio series rather than planning a new Mac Pro anytime soon.In what way does Mac Studio differ from the Mac Pro?Mac Studio provides top-of-the-line Apple Silicon performance in a smaller package compared to the Mac Pro, which was created for pros with the need for a computer with workstation-class capabilities, like expansion via PCIe. The current line of Mac Pro machines used the same processor as Mac Studio, thus making it a better choice for the majority.Is there any confirmation by Apple about the cancellation of M2 Extreme or M3 Extreme processors?No. There has been no official response from Apple concerning M2 Extreme or M3 Extreme processors, as well as their cancellation. This information comes from the report featuring people familiar with the matter at hand.end of article