Apple's chip roadmap exposed

According to reports, Apple will skip the M6 Pro, M6 Max, and M6 Ultra chips and concentrate resources on developing the M7 series, which supports AI computing. This also means that the upcoming OLED MacBook Pro will still use M5 series chips, and higher-end models will have to wait until the end of 2027 to be upgraded to the M7 Pro and M7 Max. Reporter Mark Gurman reiterated on a podcast Thursday that Apple's M6 chip series is "pretty much over." Apple has already equipped the Mac mini with the M6 and also plans to launch an iMac and an entry-level 14-inch MacBook Pro equipped with the M6, but it has no intention of making higher-performance M6 Pro, M6 Max, or M6 Ultra chips. As a result, chips for high-end Macs will jump directly from the M5 series to the M7 series. The upcoming OLED MacBook Pro will still use the M5 Pro and M5 Max that debuted in March this year, the same as current models, and the chip will not be upgraded at the same time as the new display is introduced. According to Gurman, a new entry-level MacBook Pro equipped with the M7 chip will launch in 2027, while the high-end touchscreen MacBook Pro will not get the M7 Pro and M7 Max until the end of 2027. As for the higher-performance M7 Ultra, it is expected to arrive only in the first half of 2028. Therefore, it is unlikely that Mac Studio will launch a new model in 2027.