- Apple’s MacBook Pro M6 expected to launch this year
- But a report claims it won’t be joined by the M6 Pro and M6 Max.
- Instead, Apple’s next pro chips will be the M7 Pro and M7 Max in 2027
Apple just announced massive price hikes across the board, with the company’s MacBook line being hit particularly hard. This makes things difficult if you’re considering an upgrade, but a new report has thrown a new wrench in the works.
According to a report by Bloomberg reporter Mark Gurman, it appears that Apple may decide to completely skip the high-end M6 Pro and M6 Max chips from its MacBook Pro laptops this year. This will leave the M6 chip as the only entry of its generation, without any professional-grade options.
Instead, Gurman thinks Apple’s next Pro and Max chips won’t arrive until the M7 line arrives in 2027. Given that Apple often releases new Macs in the fall, that could mean you’re waiting more than a year for new top-tier chips.
This complicates the process if you want to get a new MacBook Pro with Pro or Max chips. Apple’s latest entries – the M5 Pro and M5 Max – launched in spring 2026, which could result in an 18-month gap between professional chips. That’s a long time to wait.
And if you’re in the market for the MacBook Ultra — Apple’s flagship MacBook Pro that’s rumored to feature an OLED touchscreen and a slimmer design — Gurman doesn’t mention it at all, despite previously saying it’ll arrive in early 2027.
Other rumors had pegged a release date for the MacBook Ultra this fall. But with the M6 Pro and M6 Max chips potentially missing, it’s a safe bet that they’ll either ship alongside Apple’s M5 Ultra chip this year or be delayed until the M7 series. At present, it’s unclear which route is more likely – although supply chain rumors suggest the OLED MacBook “will be produced starting next month.”
A frustrating wait
If you’re considering 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 will apparently be released on the usual fall schedule. That said, you’ll have to pay Apple’s higher prices, which add $300 / £300 / AU$500 to the MacBook Pro’s base 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 taste, you will have to deal with the double whammy of a delayed launch and a higher price. This could complicate your upgrade plans, as you’ll have to both wait longer and save more money before pulling the trigger.
Apple has remained silent on the reason for the delay – or even whether it’s happening – but Gurman cites “people with knowledge of the subject” who say artificial intelligence (AI) is the main factor. According to Gurman, Apple is moving toward “accelerated technologies that it had originally planned to release later. This shift should help meet growing demand for on-device AI capabilities and more graphics-intensive software.”
We don’t yet know what these anonymous technologies are, but Apple obviously feels it’s best to wait until they’re ready for its business users. That may make some sense, but it means a frustrating wait for anyone who wants more than the basic chips in their next MacBook Pro.
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