Apple Said to Skip M6 Pro, M6 Max Processors to Prioritise Development of AI-Focused M7 Chipsets

Apple unveiled its most powerful M5 Pro and M5 Max processors in March. The two chips currently power the Cupertino-based tech giant's flagship MacBook Pro (2026) model, while the standard M5 chip is reserved for the MacBook Air (2026). The new 3nm M5 Pro and M5 Max processors ship with Apple's new Fusion Architecture, featuring an 18-core CPU, with 12 performance cores and six “high-performance super cores”, claimed to offer the fastest single-threaded performance. Now, rumours regarding their successors have started surfacing online. Apple is reportedly planning to launch its next-generation flagship processors as part of the rumoured Apple Silicon M7 series, instead of the M6 lineup.

Apple Silicon M7 Series Processors Might Power New Macs in 2027

Citing people with knowledge of the matter, Bloomberg reports that the Cupertino-based tech giant is revamping its Apple Silicon strategy. The company reportedly plans to skip the launch of the M6 Pro and M6 Max processors, which were expected to launch early next year. Instead, the iPhone maker is expected to unveil the rumoured M7 Pro and M7 Max chips.

Apple's high-end M7 series processors are said to debut in 2027. The Apple Silicon M7 Pro and M7 Max chips are claimed to offer more advanced computing and graphics power, which will enable on-device AI capabilities in the future, while allowing them to run more graphics-intensive tasks.

However, the company will not skip the M6 series processors entirely. The report highlights that the standard Apple Silicon M6 chip will be unveiled later this year. The chipset is expected to power the entry-level Mac devices, including the new MacBook Air.

This change is said to mark the first time that Apple will not launch a Pro and Max series processor as part of its Apple Silicon M lineup. For reference, since the unveiling of the M1 chip, which marked Apple's shift from Intel processors to proprietary chips, every generation has included a Max and Pro chip. However, the company has yet to launch the Ultra-branded processors, which have been part of the M1, M2, and M3 lineups.

As previously mentioned, this comes soon after Apple launched the M5 Pro and M5 Max processors on March 3. Both chipsets feature an 18-core CPU, comprising 12 performance cores and Apple's six super cores. The GPU is configurable with up to 40 cores, claimed to deliver 4x peak GPU compute for AI, compared to the M4 Pro and M4 Max chips.