- Apple’s M6 MacBook Pro is set to launch this year
- But a report claims that 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 has just announced massive price increases across the board, with the company’s MacBook range particularly hard hit. That makes it difficult if you’re thinking about upgrading, but a new report has thrown a fresh wrench in the works.
According to an article 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. That will leave the M6 chip as the only entry in its generation, with no pro-grade options at all.
Instead, Gurman believes Apple’s next Pro and Max chips won’t arrive until the M7 line lands in 2027. Given that Apple often launches new Macs in the fall, that could mean waiting over a year for new top-tier chips.
This 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 – were launched in spring 2026, potentially giving an 18-month gap between professional chips. It’s a long time to wait.
And if you’re in the market for the MacBook Ultra — Apple’s rumored flagship MacBook Pro that will reportedly come with a touchscreen OLED display and a thinner design — Gurman doesn’t mention it at all, even though he previously said it’s coming in early 2027.
Other rumors had pegged the MacBook Ultra with a release date this fall. But with the M6 Pro and M6 Max chips potentially missing in action, the bet is that it will either arrive with Apple’s M5 Ultra chip this year or be delayed until the M7 series. Right now, it’s unclear which route is most likely – although supply chain rumors suggest that the OLED MacBook “will be produced from 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 most interested in the entry-level M6 chip, it will apparently come out according to the usual autumn period. That said, you’ll have to pay Apple’s increased pricing, which sees $300 / £300 / AU$500 added to the original MacBook Pro’s asking price, taking it up to a starting price of $1,999 / £1,999 / AU$3,199.
If, on the other hand, there are M6 Pro or M6 Max chips that are more to your taste, you have the double whammy of a delayed launch and a higher price to contend with. This can complicate your upgrade plans, as you both have to wait longer and have more money saved up before pulling the trigger.
Apple has been tight-lipped about the reason for this delay — or whether it’s happening at all — but Gurman cites “people with knowledge of the matter” who say artificial intelligence (AI) is the main factor. According to Gurman, Apple is making the move to “fast-track technologies it originally planned to release later. The change should help meet growing demand for on-device AI capabilities and more graphics-intensive software.”
We don’t yet know what these unnamed technologies are, but Apple apparently feels it’s best to wait until they’re ready for its professional users. That might 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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