Apple Shifts Its Apple Silicon Launch Schedule to Accelerate the Launch of Chips Designed for Artificial Intelligence Workloads, Reports Bloomberg.
Apple plans to release an M6 chip for entry-level Macs as soon as this year, but has canceled plans for high-end M6 Pro and M6 Max chips. Instead, Apple’s upcoming Pro and Max chips will be part of its M7 chip lineup, with the first M7 chips launching in 2027. An M5 Ultra chip could also arrive as soon as this year.
- M5 Ultra – End of 2026
- M6 – End of 2026
- M7 – First half of 2027
- M7 Pro – End of 2027
- M7 Max – End of 2027
- M7 Ultra – 2028
Apple is accelerating the development of M7 chips because they feature technologies that support on-device AI and GPU-intensive software. Since the launch of the first Apple silicon chips, Apple has always had at least three variants, including the base M-series chip, a Pro version, and a Max version. The M6 will mark the first time that Apple will not offer a Pro or Max chip for the line.
Apple could update the entry-level MacBook Pro with an M6 chip as soon as this year. It should have a memory bandwidth of around 200 GB/s for better graphics and faster AI processing and video editing. The base M5 chip has a memory bandwidth of 153 GB/s and the base M7 chip could have a bandwidth of 240 GB/s.
Bloomberg indicates that the M6 will also feature an updated memory architecture and an upgraded Neural Engine, as well as performance improvements across all CPU cores and a redesigned GPU with up to 12 cores. Previous rumors suggested that the M6 would be the first built on Apple’s new 2-nanometer process.
The M6 base could also be used in the entry-level Mac mini and iMac, as well as the upcoming iPad Pro and iPad Air models. High-end MacBook Pro models and high-end Mac mini models will use the M7 Pro and M7 Max. The Mac Studio will use the M7 Max and M7 Ultra.
Bloomberg says Apple still plans to release an M5 Ultra for a refreshed version of the Mac Studio as early as this year. The M5 Ultra will have around 36 CPU cores and 80 GPU cores. An M5 Ultra Mac Studio could have up to 768 GB of unified memory.
Apple is working on a high-end “MacBook Ultra” with an OLED display and a touchscreen, and rumors suggest it could arrive as soon as late 2026. That seems unlikely now with the M7 Pro and M7 Max chips planned for late 2027, unless Apple equips the high-end MacBook Pro with an M6, M5 Max, or M5 Ultra chip.
News of Apple’s updated chip release schedule comes just after the company raised prices on all of its Macs and iPads.
