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Thunderbolt 5 upgrades on Thunderbolt 4 by offering up to 120Gbps in one direction and 40Gbps in the other, compared to Thunderbolt 4's symmetric bandwidth, while also supporting 240 watts of power delivery. Both standards share USB-C connectors and support data, video and power over the same cables, and Thunderbolt 5 remains backwards compatible with Thunderbolt 4, 3 and USB4 devices.
Apple unveiled a refreshed Mac Studio built around its M5 Max and new M5 Ultra silicon, promising up to 4.3x faster on-device AI performance, 1.8x faster graphics, and support for up to 512GB of unified memory. The desktop also gains Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6, and Thunderbolt 5, with the latter allowing multiple units to be clustered for tripled AI inference speeds. Pre-orders opened today, positioning the machine as Apple's flagship workstation for AI researchers and creative professionals.
Apple has updated the Mac mini and Mac Studio with two new chips: the M6, its first 2nm chip, and the M5 Ultra, now the most powerful chip in its lineup for AI tasks. The hardware itself sees no major feature additions beyond the spec bump, but Apple's messaging emphasizes their suitability for local AI inference and development.
Mini PCs use laptop-grade components that are largely non-upgradable, with CPUs and GPUs typically soldered directly to the motherboard. Even RAM and storage, when replaceable, use compact SO-DIMM and M.2 formats, and many budget models solder these too, eliminating upgrade paths entirely. Limited internal space also restricts I/O and expansion options like extra ports or drive bays.
Amazon has lowered the price of Apple's 4-pack AirTag 2 bundle to $79.99, down from $99, marking the lowest per-unit price of $20 tracked since its 2026 release. The retailer had already discounted the bundle to $89.99 and then $85 in recent days before this latest cut. Other deals include Apple's M5 MacBook Pro configurations discounted by $320 and $500, plus a $25 Anker Find My wallet card and a heavily discounted LG 6K Thunderbolt 5 monitor.
WIRED's laptop docking station roundup adds several alternative picks beyond its main recommendations, including the $200 Baseus Spacemate Air 12-in-1, the $300 Belkin Connect Pro Thunderbolt 4 Dock, and the $200 Satechi Thunderbolt 4 Slim Pro Hub. Each option targets a different need, from dual 4K display support on older MacBooks to a minimalist three-port Thunderbolt 4 setup for decluttered desks.