Apple is deviating from its previous chip strategy with the M6: From M1 to M5, there were several variants of each Apple Silicon model, but this is supposedly not planned for the M6. According to a new Bloomberg report, Apple has already started the “tape-out” of several M7 chips, a process that usually serves to finalize the chip design. According to the information, there will only be one standard M6 processor, with M6 Pro, M6 Max, or even M6 Ultra being omitted.
This would mean the M6 would only land in an entry-level MacBook Pro and possibly a MacBook Air, possibly also in an iMac and possibly in a Mac mini model – although the latter compact computer has always been equipped with a standard chip and a Pro variant recently. The reason, according to Bloomberg, is that Apple is planning major changes to the integrated AI accelerators for the M7, which apparently do not fit into the M6.
Very much RAM addressable
The first M7 is planned for the first half of 2027, according to Bloomberg. By the end of the year, M7 Pro and M7 Max will follow, and an Ultra version will follow in 2028 (which the company has sometimes omitted in recent years). With the new M7 Ultra, Apple will be able to address up to 1.5 TB for the first time since the Mac Pro with an Intel chip in 2019.
