Apple’s most powerful Macs may have to wait until 2027 to upgrade to a larger chip

Apple is expected to shake up its usual way of releasing silicon for the Mac, and BloombergMark Gurman says there will be no Pro or Max versions of the upcoming M6 chip. Instead, Apple wants to “accelerate the technologies it planned to release later” with the launch of the M7 next year.

The Cupertino company says it will only release the M6 ​​chip version “early this year,” with the M7 device expected to launch sometime in the first half of 2027. The M7 Pro and M7 Max are expected to follow in “late 2027.” This would leave out the most powerful Macs because Apple chips are often found in MacBooks, Mac minis, and iMacs. The upcoming M5 Ultra is expected to be the only long-term upgrade opportunity for Apple’s flagship devices.

This may be the first time that Apple has not released Pro and Max versions of its silicon processors, which, until now, had accompanied every new model. to m1. Apple is still preparing its M5 series – the M5 Pro/Max was released in March, and the M5 Ultra chip is expected to launch “early this year,” according to BloombergMark Gurman, as part of the new Mac Studio.

The M7 line, which is said to be built around “significant advances in AI hardware,” will be the next series that will include Pro, Max, and Ultra variants that support Apple’s most powerful devices. The M7 Ultra is expected to be released sometime in 2028, Bloomberg reports.