Apple’s most powerful Macs may skip processor upgrades until 2027

Apple is reportedly planning a significant shift in its Mac silicon release strategy, one that could leave its most powerful machines waiting years for a processor upgrade. According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, the company will not produce Pro or Max versions of the upcoming M6 chip. Instead, Apple intends to “fast-track technologies that it originally planned to release later” by focusing on the M7 launch next year.

Under this new approach, Cupertino will release only a base model M6 chip “as early as this year.” The base M7 chip is then expected to arrive sometime in the first half of 2027, with the M7 Pro and M7 Max following “as early as the end of 2027.” That timeline creates a notable gap for high-end Macs, because Apple’s base chips are typically reserved for entry-level devices like the MacBook, Mac mini, and iMac. For now, the upcoming M5 Ultra appears to be the only near-term upgrade path for Apple’s premium machines.

This would be the first time Apple has skipped Pro and Max variants of its silicon processors. Since the M1, every new generation has included those higher-performance versions. Apple is still finishing its M5 lineup , the M5 Pro and M5 Max debuted in March, and the flagship M5 Ultra chip is slated to launch “as early as this year,” according to Gurman, as part of a new Mac Studio.

The M7 lineup, reportedly built around “major advancements to on-device AI processing,” will be the next series to include Pro, Max, and Ultra variations. Those are the chips that power Apple’s most powerful devices. The M7 Ultra is on track for a release sometime in 2028, Bloomberg reports.