Apple's Mac Studio made this Windows user an M4 believer – and it's just the beginning – ZDNet

I’ve never really been an Apple guy. Most of the tech I have owned has either been Windows- or Android-related. I’ve never had an iPhone, and outside of a few instances, I never used a Mac for an extended period of time. However, writing for ZDNET has given me opportunities to try out hardware I may never have touched. And after trying out Apple’s new M4 Max Mac Studio, I’m seriously considering switching teams.

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See, one of my pet peeves is dealing with clutter. I’m not the biggest fan of having a bunch of stuff on my desk with wires going everywhere. The Mac Studio is the complete opposite, sporting a compact form factor and minimal cabling. Apple redesigned its desktop to take up less desk space, now measuring just 7.7 x 7.7 inches. It is taller at nearly four inches, but the height is a non-issue; It’s not like the Mac Studio obscures the view of your monitor. 

While I can’t dive too deep into the performance enhancements with the new model just yet — I’ll be putting the system through torture tests throughout this week — I can say the chip has been impressive through my first few days of usage. Features powered by Apple Intelligence were noticeably fast. Multi-tab browsing went off without a hitch, and I ran multiple apps simultaneously — there was no slowdown whatsoever. Of course, this is a $2,000+ desktop that we’re talking about.

My initial benchmark tests provided a clearer picture of the M4 Max’s capabilities. I ran Cinebench 2024, a software that tests a computer’s ability to render complex images and graphics. According to the app, the chip earned a score of 2,094. To put that into perspective, the M1 Max chipset, which most consumers may be currently using and upgrading from, sits at 791. This makes the M4 Max nearly three times more powerful than the first generation of Apple-owned silicon. 

Going back to an earlier point, while fast, I’m a bit torn about Apple Intelligence. I interacted with the Mac Studio’s AI features in two ways: through the upgraded Siri and Image Playground. 

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Siri was rather fun. Thanks to Apple Intelligence, you can continue inquiring into topics without needing to say “Hey Siri” repeatedly. The assistant stays contextually aware for a brief period after the first input, and the ChatGPT integration gives it a much deeper knowledge base than before. I could even check the local weather reports in nearby cities just by stating a location’s name; Siri knew what I was talking about. 

Image Playground, on the other hand, wasn’t as fun. It’s fine for generating a profile picture, but it’s nowhere near the level of quality that you would get from better AI image generators like Adobe Firefly. But for most Mac users, especially if you’re eyeing a Studio, you’ll likely be leveraging the dedicated NPU and processing power for running custom AI agents, scripts, multi-step automation, and more — all of which the computer should handle with grace.

First-party accessories are an essential aspect of the Apple experience. In addition to the Studio Display, Apple sent over a Magic Keyboard, Magic Trackpad, and Magic Mouse to test with the Mac. The keyboard stood out for me, as the keys had just the right amount of travel and were ergonomically sound. It reminded me a lot of the Plugable Folding Keyboard.

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The Magic Mouse, on the other hand, wasn’t as terrific. Even with the tracking speed set to its maximum, its cursor was too slow for my liking. Fortunately, the TrackPad provided a better experience — and you can always opt for a third-party peripheral, so long as it supports MacOS gestures and inputs.

So far, my experience with the new M4 Max Mac Studio has been mostly positive. I’m looking forward to seeing what more this little silver box can do. Will it convince me to finally drop Windows? Stay tuned for my review to read that answer.