M6 Pro and Max reportedly scrapped: the high-end Mac clock now runs to M7

Mark Gurman at Bloomberg reports that Apple has scrapped plans for M6 Pro and M6 Max chips and is instead accelerating development of high-end M7 silicon ^[2]. The consequence, per the same reporting, is that this year's redesigned high-end laptop sticks with the M5 Pro and M5 Max already shipping in the MacBook Pro ^[3], which makes the fall release a chassis and display event rather than a compute one.

That is a bigger planning input than any of the hardware features being trailed. A new family of M6 chips had long been expected to debut in this machine ^[4]. If the cancellation holds, the next step up in high-end Mac performance for buyers goes from M5 Pro and M5 Max straight to M7, skipping a Pro and Max generation entirely ^[14]. The 9to5Mac summary of the reporting says only that a future MacBook Ultra will carry the M7 chips ^[15]; it does not attach a date to them. Anyone budgeting a fleet refresh on the assumption of an annual high-end silicon cadence should treat that cadence as unconfirmed until Apple ships something.

What is left is a substantial redesign. Bloomberg describes the new model as a total redesign that is thinner and lighter than the current MacBook Pro ^[5]. It is expected to be the first Mac with a touchscreen, with Gurman reporting that touch is a secondary input method rather than a replacement for the keyboard and trackpad ^[7], and macOS Golden Gate is said to include touch-friendly controls that also work for people without a touchscreen ^[8]. It is also set to be the first Mac with OLED ^[9], and to drop the notch introduced on the 2021 MacBook Pro in favour of a hole-punch cutout plus a Dynamic Island that would host Siri AI ^[10]. 9to5Mac notes that whether ports are reduced relative to the MacBook Pro is not known ^[13].

For an operator, the split matters. A thinner body, OLED and a touch layer change what the machine is like to use and to support; they do not change how long a build takes. If your case for upgrading rests on throughput, the reported plan says wait. If it rests on display quality, weight, or a touch input path you want to test before it becomes standard, the fall machine is the one that exists.

Three things to watch. First, branding: the model was originally expected under MacBook Pro naming with a new design, and current rumours point to Ultra instead ^[6], which determines whether this sits above or replaces the existing Pro line. Second, whether the M5 Pro and M5 Max carryover survives to launch, and whether Apple says anything about M7 timing. Third, cellular: Gurman wrote in late 2024 that Apple was investigating Mac cellular but that it was unlikely before 2026, when a second-generation modem with faster speeds was planned ^[11], and the C2 modem is expected in iPhone 18 Pro this fall ^[12]. 9to5Mac stresses there is no guarantee this is the year the Mac gains cellular ^[16].