Apple skips – Apple is expected to change its Mac chip cadence, with the next M6 reportedly coming only as a base model and Pro/Max versions potentially arriving with M7 Pro and M7 Max in 2027—leaving the most powerful Macs dependent on an M5 Ultra upgrade instead.
A power user waiting on Apple’s next “top tier” Mac might have to wait longer than usual. Apple is expected to shake up its familiar Mac silicon rhythm, with Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman reporting that the upcoming M6 chip will not be offered in Pro or Max versions.
In its place. Apple reportedly wants to “fast-track technologies that it originally planned to release later. ” pushing the bigger upgrades into the next generation. The base M6 chip is expected to land first “as early as this year. ” while the base M7 chip is set to arrive sometime in the first half of 2027.
After that. the higher-end variants would follow later: M7 Pro and M7 Max are expected to follow “as early as the end of 2027.” For anyone eyeing the most powerful Macs. the timing matters. Apple’s base chips are typically aimed at entry-level models like the MacBook. Mac mini. and iMac—machines that won’t satisfy buyers who buy for headroom.
That makes the near-term story for Apple’s higher-end devices a lot simpler. The upcoming M5 Ultra would likely be the only upgrade opportunity before the Pro, Max, and Ultra tiers return in the M7 lineup.
This would also be a rare break in Apple’s pattern. It would be the first time Apple hasn’t released Pro and Max variants alongside a new silicon generation. Until now, Pro and Max versions had accompanied every new Apple silicon processor starting with the M1.
Apple isn’t done with the current generation, either. Apple is still wrapping up its M5 lineup: the M5 Pro and M5 Max were released in March, and the flagship M5 Ultra is slated to launch “as early as this year” as part of a new Mac Studio.
The reason for the shift, at least as described, centers on what Apple wants its next chips to do. The M7 lineup is reportedly designed around “major advancements to on-device AI processing.” That would be the series to include Pro, Max, and Ultra variations that power Apple’s most powerful devices.
Bloomberg reports the M7 Ultra is on track to release sometime in 2028—another reminder that the long wait might not just be about one missing chip, but about when Apple thinks the next wave of performance and AI capabilities should be ready.
Apple Mac M6 M7 M7 Pro M7 Max M5 Ultra Mac Studio on-device AI processing Mac silicon roadmap processors
So basically Apple is skipping the good chip again. Love that for us.
Wait I thought M6 Pro was like already a thing? Now it’s M7 Pro/Max in 2027? That’s a whole eternity. Guess I’ll just buy whatever’s on sale when my laptop dies.
They say it’s for “on-device AI” which sounds nice but also sounds like marketing. If the M6 Pro/Max never happens and the “most powerful” is stuck on an M5 Ultra upgrade… that’s kinda backwards, no? Also 2028 for M7 Ultra?? I don’t even know what any of these numbers mean anymore.
Apple doing Apple things. Like my cousin said if you can’t get the Pro version you might as well get the base and call it a day. But then they’re saying Pro/Max comes with M7 anyway so… why would anyone plan around M6 at all? Also “as early as this year” is always code for it’ll be out whenever they feel like it.