Yesterday Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman detailed a years-long roadmap for upcoming Macs, and per his report, it sounds like two new models might skip the base M5 chip and go straight to M6.
New Mac mini and iMac models could bypass the base M5 chip in favor of M6
Apple currently sells several Macs that have not yet been updated to the M5 chip generation. While its laptops have moved to M5, desktops like the Mac Studio, Mac mini, and iMac are all stuck on the M4 generation.
And based on the latest Bloomberg report, it sounds like some of those desktops might skip M5 altogether—at least the base chip.
Per Mark Gurman, the new Mac mini currently in testing uses M6 and M5 Pro chips.
We were previously expecting M5 and M5 Pro models of Mac mini, but per this report, it seems Apple plans to skip the base M5 chip and take Mac mini straight to M6.
This change in plans likely corresponds with the current memory crisis that has reportedly pushed back Apple’s release plans for new Mac mini and Mac Studio models.
Joining the Mac mini, there’s a second model that could also skip M5 in favor of M6: the iMac.
The report doesn’t explicitly name a specific chip for the new iMac. However, it mentions the iMac alongside an M6 MacBook Pro as two Macs that will launch first. Gurman writes:
The wave of new computers will begin with a refreshed low-end 14-inch MacBook Pro that will be among the first Macs to use a new M6 chip and the first new iMacs in two years […]
Development of the refreshed iMacs and new entry-level MacBook Pro, which looks like the current 14-inch version, is complete, but the machines aren’t likely to ship until the fall.
It’s always possible Apple will launch an M6 MacBook Pro at the same time as an M5 iMac. It would be odd, but certainly possible.
However, based on the company’s history of coordinating Mac updates with new chips, and the Mac mini jumping straight to M6, it’s likely that the new iMac will have an M6 chip too.
If that’s the case, then both the Mac mini and iMac will skip the base M5 chip in favor of the new, more powerful M6.
Are you waiting to purchase a new Mac? Which model are you waiting for? Let us know in the comments.
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