Apple is reportedly planning to launch an updated Mac Studio powered by its new M5 Ultra chip later this year, according to Bloomberg. The desktop hasn't seen a refresh since March 2025 and was initially expected to arrive earlier in 2026. Supply chain challenges with memory chips and recent price increases have pushed the timeline back to potentially October 2026.

The M5 Ultra chip is expected to feature approximately 36 CPU cores and 80 GPU cores, representing a modest upgrade over the existing M3 Ultra. More notably, Apple has tested configurations supporting up to 768GB of unified memory, though supply constraints may limit availability. For comparison, the current M3 Ultra Mac Studio maxed out at 512GB before Apple removed that option in March, leaving only a 96GB configuration available.

Pricing details suggest the new model could be extremely costly. Apple recently increased the 96GB M3 Ultra Mac Studio price by $1,300 to $5,299. Adding eight times more RAM during ongoing memory shortages could push the top-tier configuration well over $10,000, making it prohibitively expensive for most professional users.

This launch fits Apple's strategy shift toward AI-focused hardware, as the company reportedly canceled high-end M6 chips to accelerate M7 development. The Mac Studio has traditionally served creative professionals who need substantial memory for video editing and 3D rendering, so any configuration limitations could disappoint power users waiting for meaningful upgrades.