As Apple looks to unlock new revenue streams and appease its professional user base, the company could be on the verge of launching one of its most exciting features to date. Rather than beefing up its iMacs and MacBooks with high-end specs, Apple looks set to launch Pro Mode, boosting performance in some apps to allow for improved speed and productivity.
Apple recognizes that, when it comes to professional and high-end computers, Windows and the PC market outshines. And that’s without mentioning mobile devices, and how they are becoming increasingly viable alternatives for the majority of everyday tasks like admin, processing, collaboration, and communication. Rather than equip every member of staff with a high-end Mac, companies opt for cheap PCs and Android smartphones to cut costs.
But as smartphone sales outshine the desktop and laptop markets, Apple is turning to its popular Mac range to encourage consumers to drop more cash. Whether it’s producing a movie, playing a game, or editing photography, there are so many use cases for a Mac, and with Apple’s reported new Pro Mode, professionals will be able to accelerate application performance for tasks that most matter to them, increasing the viability of Macs for pros.
The new feature was first reported by 9to5Mac’s Filipe Espósito, who found the overclocking technology referenced in the macOS Catalina 10.15.3 beta.
The new Pro Mode would reportedly allow users to turn on and off an overclocking feature as and when needed, with Apple telling users: “Apps may run faster, but battery life may decrease and fan noise may increase,” in the beta code, suggesting a general release could be on its way.
The code also suggests that the Pro Mode will remain on overnight if it’s not manually switched off, meaning editors could keep their machines on all hours of the day to render a video or finish off a project. The idea behind the feature is to optimize system performance to offer more power and performance from specific apps, something that users have been demanding for a long time as they turn to macOS and its popular video editing applications.
Over the years, Mac users have created their own software overclock tools, though these have been known to make systems unstable or even cause permanent damage, as the heat generated by overclocked systems exceed the ability of the machine’s thermal systems. By developing a new feature in-house, Apple will help users overcome this issue.
macOS Pro Mode release date
Although references to Pro Mode were spotted in early 2020, Apple didn’t announce the feature during its WWDC Keynote presentation, suggesting Pro Mode is not coming alongside macOS Big Sur this year. Instead, Apple may be holding off to launch the mode alongside its new Silicon-powered devices, the first of which is expected to be announced before the end of the year. Could we see Pro Mode as part of an incremental update? Only time will tell.