As the calendar turns to March, we’re naturally on the lookout for clues that Apple is preparing to release a new slate of spring products as it has over the past several years. And we might have gotten a big one from an unlikely place.
Apple this week pushed a new beta firmware version 16.4 to the Studio Display with build number 20E5223e. That’s the second beta in as many weeks and coordinates with the development of macOS Ventura 13.3, which is also in its second beta. The full releases are expected later this month or early April.
While we don’t know what’s in the firmware since Apple hasn’t provided release notes, the update is notable for a couple of reasons. For one, it’s the first Studio Display firmware update since version 15.5, which arrived in October. For another, it coincides with the beta testing for macOS 13.3, which was previously rumored to be the version of Ventura running on Apple Silicon Mac Pros in testing.
When the new Mac Pro arrives, Apple may have to update the Studio Display firmware to support the new machine, much like iOS 16.3 brought support for the new HomePod last month.
Those are two very big clues that a new Mac Pro could be arriving very soon. While we still have a load of questions about the new machine, we might not have to wait too much longer to find out.
Author: Michael Simon, Executive Editor
Michael Simon has been covering Apple since the iPod was the iWalk. His obsession with technology goes back to his first PC—the IBM Thinkpad with the lift-up keyboard for swapping out the drive. He's still waiting for that to come back in style tbh.