Apple’s Next Macs Are Jumping Straight to the M6

Although we had a gala week of new MacBook launches in March, including the groundbreaking new MacBook Neo, it’s been a pretty quiet year for Apple’s desktop models. In fact, it’s been well over a year since any of them have received updates, with the Mac Studio, Mac mini, and iMac still hovering behind the curve on Apple’s 2024-era M4 chips.

That obviously makes them due for an update, and now Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman has given us some insight into when we can expect that to happen. In a new report today, Gurman lays out a roadmap for not only those desktop models, but also the timing for the MacBook Pro, MacBook Air, and the next generation of the MacBook Neo.

While some of what’s in this report is par for the course — it doesn’t take a lot of clairvoyance to predict an M6 MacBook in early 2027 — there are also some genuinely interesting tidbits.

Marching toward the M6

First up, it looks like some models will be skipping the M5 entirely — at least the base version.

1. Apple reportedly has a refreshed 24-inch iMac ready to go with an M6 chip, although it’s not slated to ship until the fall. This will be a direct upgrade to the M4 iMac released in 2024. As with previous updates, don’t expect much to change beyond the chip inside; an OLED model is in the works, but not anytime soon. There are said to be two models, codenamed J833 and J834, although these likely just represent the same two- and four-Thunderbolt port variants available today.
2. A new base model 14-inch MacBook Pro (J804) is also expected to arrive with the M6 chip this year, continuing the trend Apple began in late 2023. It doesn’t appear that this model will get a redesign or OLED screen, as Gurman only mentions those for the “high-end” models.
3. The M6 MacBook Air is likely to launch on schedule in early 2027. Again, no OLED panel here yet either, as Gurman says that’s slated for 2028.
4. A new M6 Mac mini will also be skipping the base M5 chip, although Apple apparently plans to mix things up a bit by offering the higher-end variant with the M5 Pro.
   

Last month, Gurman reported that Apple plans to skip the M6 Pro and Max chips to focus development on their next-generation M7 variants. That will leave the Mac mini in a similar place as last year’s Mac Studio, which mixed the latest M4 Max chip with an M3 Ultra in its top-tier configuration, since Apple never produced an M4 Ultra chip either.

The M5 Pro, Max… and Ultra

The high-end MacBook Pro models, which may not arrive until early 2027, will use the same M5 Pro and M5 Max chips found in the current versions, but that makes it the perfect time for the major redesign we’ve been hearing about. These models will get OLED technology, a touchscreen, and “a fresh design.”

Meanwhile, the M-series Ultra gap means we’ll see one more high-end M5 chip arrive before Apple moves on to its M7 flagships. If Apple wants to get a new Mac Studio out the door anytime soon, it needs an M5 Ultra, since there’s really nowhere else for it to go right now.

According to Gurman, Apple will return the Mac Studio to its roots with M5 Max and M5 Ultra configurations, but the really tricky part for this model is that no one is quite sure when it’s coming — or in what memory configurations.

The Mac Studio has already been significantly supply-constrained due to a combination of supply chain problems and high demand from AI hyperscalers. So the timing for when Apple will release a new Mac Studio — and the new Mac mini, which faces the same challenges — is entirely dependent on when Apple can bring balance to the supply chain.

During the company’s Q2 2026 earnings call, Apple CEO Tim Cook outlined this exact problem, noting that it could take “several months” for Apple to meet demand for the current Mac mini and Mac Studio, some of which are currently seeing shipping times of three months or more. So it’s anyone’s guess when Apple will be able to start churning out new versions of them.

The MacBook Neo

Perhaps the most interesting takeaway from all this is Apple’s plan for the next MacBook Neo. With the overwhelming popularity of the budget laptop, a sequel was all but guaranteed, but as an entirely new product line, it’s been hard to predict where Apple would go from here.

According to Gurman, the next big upgrade will include the obvious processor bump with a nice bonus. Apple is said to be testing a model that uses the A19 Pro chip from the iPhone 17 Pro lineup, but with more memory.

Of course, that’s not too surprising when you think about it. Since Apple silicon uses unified memory, it stands to reason that the A19 Pro chip used in the MacBook Neo would have the same amount of RAM as the chips powering the iPhone 17 Pro, iPhone 17 Pro Max, and iPhone Air. Since those iPhone models all have 12 GB of RAM — which is also a requirement to support more advanced on-device AI models — there’s no reason to believe the MacBook Neo won’t gain the same spec bump.

However, we may see a smaller MacBook Neo refresh before that time, as Gurman adds that Apple “plans to refresh the machine periodically with new colors to capitalize on its broad appeal.”

[The information provided in this article has NOT been confirmed by Apple and may be speculation. Provided details may not be factual. Take all rumors, tech or otherwise, with a grain of salt.]