The LONG wait is over, if you haven’t heard, Apple is finally making amazing Macs again that video editors both need and want!

When the Mac Studio was announced I honestly wasn’t sure if I would get one of them. Even though I was due for an upgrade and had been waiting for a machine just like this one, the fact that it used the same chips as the M1 Max laptops almost made it feel like a better deal going with those. Realistically though my workflow is 99% done at home in my workspace, so portability isn’t really something I need to proioritize in my workflow.

The Mac Studio is essentially a Mac Mini that put on ALOT of extra pounds and comes with some really nice extra ports and such that the mini doesn’t feature. The rear having 4 Thunderbolt 4 ports is amazing and a really nice change, as well as *GASP* front-facing ports (one SD-card reader and two USB 3 ports) which I wholeheartedly welcome.

The only non-cardboard piece of this entire packaging

Super excited to really get editing on this and push it to it’s full capacity. I ended up just buying the base model (M1 Max 10 core CPU, 24 core GPU) since it was the only one in stock and not backed up multiple months, and really seems to be the best overall value.

The packaging of the Mac Studio was honestly somewhat lackluster I felt, though it was much larger overall than I could have imagined. Walking through the mall carrying a giant box that broadcasted “Mac Studio” on it wasn’t the most fun experience, a bag to conceal it a bit more definitely would have been nice!

Opening the Mac Studio you are presented with a pull tab that you rip open, and the box folds out from there revealing the manual as well as the Mac Studio in typical sealed paper cover to prevent scratches.

Unglamorously, the only accessory that is provided is the power cord which is Apple’s newer braided type power cord, although proprietary of course.

Pulling it out of its packaging, the Mac Studio itself was honestly much heavier than I had anticipated. They clearly have significantly upgraded the cooling over the M1 Max MacBook models and it shows in the teardown that many YouTubers have showcased.

Having ethernet, a true HDMI port, some standard USB-A ports (hey, not everything these days is USB-C and 4 Thunderbolt 4 ports is very welcome.

Super exciting to see what Apple is doing with their own silicon now and I’m certain this will be a machine that can last me quite a long while, assuming I can resist the temptation to upgrade to an all-Apple Silicon Mac Pro that will eventually be revealed.