- Apple’s M6 MacBook Pro is due 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 has just announced massive price rises across the board, with the company’s MacBook range affected particularly badly. That makes it tough if you’re thinking of upgrading, but a new report has thrown a fresh spanner into the works.
As per an article from Bloomberg reporter Mark Gurman, it looks as though Apple might 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 sole 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 touches down in 2027. Given that Apple often launches new Macs in the fall, that could mean you’re waiting over a year for new top-tier chips.
That 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 making for an 18-month gap between professional chips. That’s a long time to wait.
And if you’re in the hunt for the MacBook Ultra — Apple’s rumored flagship MacBook Pro that will supposedly come with a touchscreen OLED display and a thinner design — Gurman doesn’t mention that at all, although he has previously said it’ll come in early 2027.
Other rumors had pegged the MacBook Ultra for a release date this fall. But with the M6 Pro and M6 Max chips potentially missing in action, the betting is that it will either come with Apple’s M5 Ultra chip this year or will be delayed until the M7 series. Right now, it’s unclear which route is most likely — although supply chain rumors suggest the OLED MacBook “will be produced starting next month”.
