After price hike, Apple may skip M6 Pro and M6 Max chips due to AI

Apple is reportedly planning to launch only the standard M6 chip and skip the M6 Pro and M6 Max. The shift would break a long-running Apple Silicon pattern as the company moves faster towards AI-focused M7 chips.

In Short

• Apple may skip M6 Pro and Max chips, says report
• M7 lineup is expected to focus more on AI capabilities
• Base M6 chip could debut later this year in Macs

Just after Apple increased the prices of several MacBook and iPad models globally, including in India, the company is reportedly preparing another major change, this time to the chips that power its Macs. According to a new Bloomberg report, Apple plans to skip the M6 Pro and M6 Max chips altogether. Instead, the company is expected to launch only the standard M6 chip before shifting its focus directly to the M7 lineup, marking a major departure from its Apple Silicon strategy.

A first for Apple Silicon

Since Apple introduced its in-house Apple Silicon chips in 2020, every chip generation has included more powerful Pro and Max variants. However, the upcoming M6 chip is reportedly set to break that pattern. The report says Apple is testing the M6 chip in a new entry-level MacBook Pro, with a launch planned later this year. The new chip is expected to offer improved memory bandwidth of up to 200GB/s, compared to 153GB/s on the current M5 chip.

However, Bloomberg says Apple has no plans to release M6 Pro or M6 Max versions, making the M6 the first Apple Silicon generation without higher-end variants.

Apple wants to move faster to AI-focused chips

Instead of launching more powerful M6 chips, Apple is reportedly planning to move directly to the M7 generation. The M7 lineup is expected to be designed with a stronger focus on artificial intelligence. AI and Siri were among the biggest talking points during Apple's WWDC keynote this year, making it unsurprising that the company is now placing greater emphasis on on-device AI in its future chips.

According to the report, the base M7 chip could arrive as early as the first half of next year. The M7 Pro and M7 Max are expected to follow later in the year, while the M7 Ultra is reportedly planned for 2028.

What this could mean for future Macs

It remains unclear whether this reported strategy shift will affect Apple's plans for its first touchscreen MacBook, which was previously rumoured to debut with the M6 MacBook Pro. Apple introduced the M5 Pro and M5 Max chips earlier this year, while the standard M6 chip is expected to power entry-level MacBooks before the end of 2026.

Meanwhile, Apple is also reportedly continuing work on the M5 Ultra chip, which Bloomberg says could launch as early as this year as part of a new Mac Studio.

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