Like the calendar turns to March, we’re naturally on the lookout for hints that Apple is preparing to release a new spring product slate like it has for the past few years. And we may have grabbed a big one from an unlikely place.
Apple this week sent a new beta version of firmware 16.4 to Studio Display with the build number 20E5223e. This is the second beta in as many weeks and coordinates with the development of Mac OS Ventura 13.3, also in its second beta. 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 any release notes, the update is notable for a couple of reasons. For one thing, it’s Studio Display’s first firmware update since then version 15.5, arrived in October. On the other hand, it coincides with the beta test for macOS 13.3, which was previously rumored to be the version of Ventura running on the Apple Silicon Mac Pro in testing.
When the new mac pro comes, Apple may have to update the Studio Display’s firmware to support the new machine, just like iOS 16.3 brought support for the new HomePod last month.
These are two very important clues that a new Mac Pro could be arriving very soon. While we still have a ton of questions about the new machine, we might not have to wait too long to find out.
