Apple has confirmed the Mac Studio - a new desktop computer that takes the Mini concept and ramps it to the max.

For starters, it is the first Mac running on the latest Apple Silicon chipset - M1 Ultra. You can get it with an existing M1 Max chip, but as soon as you upgrade to the new Silicon it is ip to 3.8x faster than the fastest iMac on the market, claims Apple.

GPU performance is up to 4.5x faster too.

Apple Mac Studio is first desktop with M1 Ultra photo 4
Apple

The design of the Mac Studio is similar to stacking a Mac Mini on top of another. It needs the extra space inside the case for powerful fans to keep air flowing throughout, ensuring the whole thing remains cool enough to run effectively.

Apple Mac Studio is first desktop with M1 Ultra photo 1
Apple

The Mac Studio can be spec'ed up to 8TB of SSD storage running at up to 7.4GB/s. There's also up to 128GB RAM on offer with memory bandwidth of up to 800GB/s. 

Other specifications include Wi-Fi 6 support, Bluetooth 5.0 and relatively few ports - such as Ethernet, Thunderbolt 4, HDMI and an SDXC card slot.

It starts at $1,999 / £1,999 / €2,299 for the M1 Max model, and $3,999 / £3,999 / €4,599 if you want M1 Ultra. And it can go up to $7,999 / £7,999 / €9,199 if you want the absolute topline spec.

All models are available for pre-order now for shipping from 18 March 2022.

You can read more about the new M1 Ultra chipset right here, and the accompanying 27-inch Studio Display here.