- Apple’s M6 MacBook Pro will be released this year
- But a report claims that they will not join the M6 Pro and M6 Max.
- Instead, Apple’s next professional chips will be the M7 Pro and M7 Max in 2027
Apple just announced massive price increases across the board, and the company’s MacBook range was particularly affected. That makes it difficult if you’re thinking about upgrading, but a new report has put a new brake on the process.
According to an article by Bloomberg reporter Mark Gurman, it looks like Apple could decide to omit the high-end M6 Pro and M6 Max chips from its MacBook Pro laptops entirely this year. That will leave the M6 chip as the only entry in its generation, without any pro-level options.
Instead, Gurman believes Apple’s next Pro and Max chips won’t arrive until the M7 line lands in 2027. Since Apple typically releases new Macs in the fall, that could mean you’re waiting more than a year for new top-tier chips.
That complicates the process if you want to get a new MacBook Pro equipped with Pro or Max chips. Apple’s latest entries, the M5 Pro and M5 Max, launched in spring 2026, which could create an 18-month gap between pro chips. It’s a long time to wait.
And if you’re looking at the MacBook Ultra, Apple’s flagship MacBook Pro that will supposedly come with an OLED touchscreen and a slimmer design, Gurman doesn’t mention that at all, although he previously said it will arrive in early 2027.
Other rumors had set the MacBook Ultra release date for this fall. But with the M6 Pro and M6 Max chips potentially missing in action, the bet is that it will come with Apple’s M5 Ultra chip this year or be delayed until the M7 series. At this point, it’s unclear what the most likely route is, although supply chain rumors suggest the OLED MacBook “will be produced starting next month.”
A frustrating wait
If you’re thinking about getting a new MacBook Pro, the impact of Apple’s decision will depend on what you’re looking for. After all, if you’re more interested in the entry-level M6 chip, it’s apparently coming out on the usual fall deadline. That said, you’ll have to pay Apple’s increased prices, which add $300 / £300 / AU$500 to the MacBook Pro’s starting asking price, bringing it to a starting point of $1,999 / £1,999 / AU$3,199.
If, on the other hand, the M6 Pro or M6 Max chips are more to your liking, you’ll have the double whammy of a delayed launch and a higher price to contend with. That could complicate your upgrade plans, since you’ll have to wait longer and save more money before pulling the trigger.
Apple has been silent about why this delay is happening, or if it’s even happening, but Gurman cites “people with knowledge of the matter” who say artificial intelligence (AI) is the main factor. According to Gurman, Apple is moving toward “accelerated technologies that it originally planned to release later. The shift should help meet growing demand for on-device AI capabilities and more graphics-intensive software.”
We don’t know what those unnamed technologies are yet, but Apple evidently feels it’s best to wait until they’re ready for its pro users. That may make some sense, but it means a frustrating wait for anyone who wants more than the entry-level chips inside their next MacBook Pro.
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