Apple is reportedly planning to skip most of the M6 family and jump straight to a next-generation M7 chip line, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. The details, relayed by MacRumors from Gurman's podcast on Thursday, October 15, would shape Apple's Mac lineup well into 2028. Apple has not commented on any of it.
M6 stays small
Gurman said Apple is "pretty much done" with M6 chips. The M6 has already appeared in the Mac mini, and the company is expected to use it in an M6 iMac and an entry-level 14-inch MacBook Pro. Apple does not, however, plan M6 Pro, M6 Max or M6 Ultra variants, he reported.
M7 for the high end
Instead of a full M6 generation, Apple is said to be moving from the M5 Pro, M5 Max and M5 Ultra straight to M7 chips. Gurman described the M7 line as designed with AI workloads in mind. The reported timeline is staggered:
- 2027: a refreshed low-end MacBook Pro with an M7 chip.
- Late 2027: the high-end touchscreen MacBook Pro models, with M7 Pro and M7 Max chips, "at the end of next year."
- First half of 2028: an M7 Ultra.
What it means for the OLED MacBook Pro
The practical consequence is that the OLED MacBook Pro models expected at Apple's late-October launch would reportedly keep the M5 Pro and M5 Max chips that debuted in the current MacBook Pro in March 2026. Buyers of the redesigned touchscreen machines would therefore get a new display and body, but not a new generation of silicon, until the M7 versions arrive.
Separately, Gurman suggested a new Mac Studio is unlikely in 2027, because the next Ultra-class chip is not planned until 2028.
Context and caveats
All of this is unconfirmed. Gurman's reporting on Apple's roadmap has often proved accurate, but chip plans can change, and the company rarely discusses future silicon before it is ready to announce it. Earlier reports from the same source pointed to an Apple launch event around October 27 and 28 for the touchscreen MacBook Pro, an M6 iMac and an OLED iPad mini; Apple has reportedly invited media to a Los Angeles "launch experience" on October 28, though it has not publicly described what will be shown.
If the report holds, the October lineup would be a design-led refresh, with the chip story saved for 2027 and beyond.
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