Apple Inc. is reportedly developing two new high-end Macs that could make their debut at the company’s Worldwide Developers Conference next week.

Bloomberg reported the development initiative today. Besides new Macs, WWDC is expected to see Apple announce several other new products. It’s believed that the main highlight will be the Reality Pro, the company’s long-reported virtual reality headset.

The two desktop computers the iPhone maker is developing are said to be in the testing phase. They’re known internally as Mac 14.13 and Mac 14.14, according to Bloomberg. 

The more powerful of the two machines is believed to feature a new chip called M2 Ultra. It’s the successor to the M1 Ultra, one of Apple’s most advanced desktop processors. The latter chip powers the company’s high-end Mac Studio computer for creative professionals. 

The processors in Apple’s Mac computers are SoCs, or systems-on-chip, integrated circuits that combine multiple types of compute modules in a single package. Each SoC includes a central processing unit, a graphics card and built-in RAM. There are also more specialized components such as cybersecurity modules. 

The M2 Ultra chip that powers one of Apple’s upcoming Macs reportedly includes a CPU with 16 performance-optimized cores and eight cores designed for power efficiency. That means it has four more efficiency-optimized cores than the M1 Ultra, the iPhone maker’s previous-generation chip. The amount of onboard RAM is said to have been increased from 128 gigabytes to 192 gigabytes.

But the most significant upgrade will reportedly be made to the onboard GPU. The upcoming M2 Ultra chip’s graphics card is said to feature 72 cores, up from 48 in the M1 Ultra. The faster GPU could provide a performance boost for not only creative applications, a core focus of Apple’s high-end Macs, but also the growing number of programs that incorporate artificial intelligence.

The iPhone maker’s desktop SoCs feature a dedicated AI accelerator alongside their built-in graphics card. The M2 Max chip, the company’s newest desktop chip, features a 16-core AI accelerator capable of 15.8 trillion calculations per second.

The M2 Max reportedly powers the second high-end Mac that Apple is said to be developing. The machine will offer up to 96 gigabytes of memory. According to Bloomberg’s sources, both systems are in the product testing phase. 

If Apple announces the systems at WWDC next week, they will likely make their debut alongside the iPhone maker’s long-rumored VR headset. The Reality Pro, as the device is called, reportedly resembles a pair of ski goggles and relies on an external battery pack to power its components.

The headset is expected to feature a chip based on Apple’s M2 series of desktop SoCs. The series includes the M2 Max and M2 Ultra chips that reportedly power the company’s upcoming high-end Macs. In addition, the Reality Pro is believed to include a second processor optimized to speed up mixed reality applications.

Recent rumors suggest Apple may also refresh its MacBook Air lineup of entry-level laptops at WWDC. The company will reportedly introduce a new 15-inch MacBook Air, as well as an updated version of its existing 13-inch machine.

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