It looks like Apple’s silicon strategy is primed for yet another big overhaul. According to a fresh report by Bloomberg, the upcoming M6 processor will only get a baseline version, and there won’t be any Pro or Max variants offered for it. Instead, Apple is reserving those powerful upgrades for the M7 series of silicon, including an Ultra version planned for it.
“The company is taking this unusual step in order to fast-track technologies that it originally planned to release later. The change should help meet growing demand for on-device AI capabilities and more graphics-intensive software,” says the report.
Why Apple is rushing the base M6 chip out early?
The report mentions that Apple is already testing the M6 chip internally, and it is expected to appear inside an entry-level MacBook Pro later this year. As far as upgrades go, the report claims that the baseline M6 silicon will offer higher memory bandwidth to increase the pace of AI tasks and will also be more capable at video editing and graphics-intensive chores.
In addition to a beefier memory system and more powerful neural engine, the M6 chip will also come equipped with a more powerful GPU with up to 12 graphics cores. At the moment, the baseline M5 processor only offers 10 GPU cores, which means the M6 successor is going to fare better at gaming, graphics-intensive productivity tasks such as video editing, and AI processes.
What’s coming with the M7 lineup and beyond
Coming to the M7 silicon, Apple is planning to launch it in the first half of 2027, and it will be offered in at least four variants, including Pro, Max, and Ultra options. The baseline M7 silicon will reportedly boost the memory bandwidth to 240 GBps, up from 153 GBps on the current-gen M5 processor.
Interestingly, the report mentions that Apple still has an M5 Ultra processor in development, and it might make an appearance inside a refreshed Mac Studio featuring 36 CPU cores and 80 graphics cores. This particular Mac Studio model could also offer support for 768 GB of memory when it arrives later this year.