Apple is preparing a sweeping overhaul of its entire Mac lineup, but the most eye-catching part — a long-rumored OLED touchscreen MacBook Pro — will reportedly ship with last year’s M5 Pro and M5 Max chips instead of the newer M6. That surprising twist, first reported by Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman and detailed by Macworld, means buyers who spring for the redesigned laptop may get older silicon while Apple fast-tracks the M7 generation for 2027.

The news comes amid a broader product roadmap that stretches from this fall through 2027, affecting every Mac currently sold. For Windows users, the implications are significant: a touchscreen MacBook Pro erases one of the last clear hardware differentiators between the two platforms, even as Apple’s chip confusion gives PC makers an opening to tout newer processors.

A Surprising Chip Inside Apple’s Most Anticipated Laptop

The redesigned MacBook Pro has been on rumor radars for years, promising two features Apple has long resisted: an OLED display and touch input. According to the Bloomberg report, those models are now in testing, codenamed K114 (14-inch) and K116 (16-inch), running iOS 27.1 — a clue that the touch layer may lean heavily on iPadOS-derived software. But instead of the M6 chip that will debut in other Macs this fall, these premium portables will use M5 Pro and M5 Max processors.

That’s a head-scratcher. A radical industrial design change usually arrives alongside a new processor generation. Apple apparently sees the display and touch upgrades as compelling enough to warrant a new chassis even without the latest silicon. The move also suggests Apple is skipping M6 Pro and M6 Max variants entirely, accelerating the M7 family for the next major performance leap in 2027.

The standard 14-inch MacBook Pro (codenamed J804) will get an M6 chip this fall but no design changes, keeping it thinner and lighter than the coming high-end models. The iMac (J833 and J834) will also receive an M6 update, though its physical design — unchanged since 2021 — may remain the same.

A Messy Roadmap: M5, M6, and M7 All at Once

The full rollout, as outlined by Macworld and corroborated by 9to5Mac and Tom’s Guide, looks like this:

  • Fall 2026: M6-based 14-inch MacBook Pro (entry model) and iMac. These are chip refreshes, not redesigns.
  • Early 2027: M6 MacBook Air (J913, J915) and a second-generation MacBook Neo with an A19 Pro chip and more memory.
  • Late 2026 or early 2027 (date uncertain): New Mac mini with base M6 and M5 Pro options; Mac Studio with M5 Max and a new M5 Ultra. Timing depends on memory-chip supplies.
  • Late 2026 to 2027: The OLED touchscreen MacBook Pro (14-inch and 16-inch) with M5 Pro/Max.
  • 2027: A further redesigned MacBook Pro (K104) with M7 chips, likely building on the touchscreen foundation.

This staggered release creates an unusual situation where M5, M6, and M7 systems will coexist. A buyer could walk into an Apple Store and choose between an M6 MacBook Air, an M5 Pro–powered OLED MacBook Pro, or an M6 iMac, all sold alongside M7 Pro models a year later. For consumers accustomed to Apple’s cleaner generational ladder, that’s a messy picture.

What It Means for You

If you’re a MacBook Pro shopper

If you need a new laptop this year, the current M5 Pro/Max models (released in late 2024 or early 2025) are still immensely capable. But the rumor of an imminent OLED touchscreen redesign may freeze your decision. The catch: that new design likely won’t have the fastest chip available. If you prioritize display quality and touch, the M5 Pro version might still be worth it. If you want the absolute best CPU and GPU, you’ll need to wait for the M7 models in 2027 — a long wait for uncertain gains.

If you’re a Windows user eyeing a Mac

The touchscreen MacBook Pro erodes a long-standing reason to choose a Windows laptop. Apps like Photoshop, Blender, or even Excel could benefit from direct interaction, and OLED will close the display-quality gap with premium Windows machines. But be aware: macOS isn’t built for touch the way Windows 11 is. Apple will have to tweak hit targets, gestures, and app interfaces, and early adopters may hit rough edges.

The chip confusion also plays into Windows OEMs’ hands. Dell, Lenovo, HP, and others will likely ship laptops with Intel Lunar Lake, Arrow Lake, or Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite chips before the M7 MacBooks arrive, offering newer architectures with dedicated NPUs for AI. If you need CUDA or upgradeable RAM and storage, a Windows workstation still holds advantages.

If you’re a professional or creative

The OLED panel promises better contrast, black levels, and potentially thinner bezels — ideal for color-critical work. Touch could speed up scrubbing timelines, navigating 3D models, or annotating documents. But the M5 Pro/Max in the redesign won’t be a huge jump over current models. If your workloads are already pushing the limits, you might hold out for M7, especially if it brings a process node shrink or a dedicated neural engine overhaul. The Mac Studio with M5 Ultra remains a strong desktop option for large AI models that need unified memory, though pricing could climb if RAM costs rise.

If you’re an everyday Mac user

For web browsing, office apps, and streaming, an M6 MacBook Air or MacBook Neo will be more than sufficient. The Neo, with its A19 Pro chip, is especially interesting: it could offer a $700–$900 Mac experience if Apple gets the price right. Just watch the RAM and storage base configurations; a paltry 8GB of memory will age poorly as AI features demand more.

How We Got Here: The Long Road to Touchscreen Macs

Apple’s resistance to touchscreen Macs is legendary. For years, executives argued that macOS and touch don’t mix, pointing to iPad as the proper touch-first device. Meanwhile, Windows embraced touch with the release of Windows 8 in 2012, and today virtually every premium Windows laptop includes a touchscreen, often with pen support and 360-degree hinges.

Behind the scenes, Apple has been inching toward this moment. The 2021 MacBook Pro introduced a notch, bringing the display closer to an iPad-like aesthetic. The M-series chips’ unified memory and neural engine made AI workloads a priority, and OLED arrived on the iPad Pro in 2024. Touch input, therefore, finally feels like a natural next step — not a wholesale conversion to a tablet OS, but an additional interaction method atop the trackpad.

Skipping M6 Pro and M6 Max chips now seems like a deliberate pivot. The M5 generation already brought significant AI acceleration (the rumor mill suggests a 40% bump in TOPS over M4). By focusing on M7, Apple may be targeting a larger architectural leap — possibly a 2nm process or a chiplet design — that would make the M6 Pro look like a stopgap. This isn’t unprecedented; Intel often skipped desktop chip refreshes when the next node was imminent. But it does make the current lineup harder to parse.

What to Do Now

  1. If you must buy this year: The current M5 Pro/Max MacBook Pros are available and extremely powerful. You won’t get OLED or touch, but you’ll have a proven design with mini-LED and excellent battery life. For desktops, the Mac mini with M5 Pro is a solid value.
  2. If you can wait until late 2026: You’ll face a choice: the M6 MacBook Air (likely no redesign) or the OLED touchscreen MacBook Pro with an M5 Pro chip. Decide whether you value the new form factor over the latest silicon.
  3. If you want the best long-term investment: Wait for the 2027 M7 MacBook Pro. By then, the touch/OLED platform should be mature, and M7 may bring a substantial performance jump. But that’s a two-year wait.
  4. Windows users considering a switch: Keep an eye on how Apple implements touch. If macOS gets iPad-style gestures and reworked UI elements, that could sway you. But don’t expect a convertible Mac; this will likely remain a clamshell with touch as an added input method.
  5. Monitor pricing: Apple recently raised Mac prices due to rising component costs. The touchscreen OLED models will almost certainly command a premium — perhaps $200–$500 more than equivalent current models. Budget accordingly.

What to Watch Next

Apple typically refreshes Macs in October or at WWDC. Expect more concrete leaks in the coming months, especially around the M6 MacBook Pro and iMac. The real test will be whether Apple can explain its chip strategy clearly to consumers: “New design, but older chip” is a tough message. Success hinges on making the OLED and touch experience so good that buyers forget about the processor inside.

For Windows users, the ball is in Microsoft’s and PC makers’ court. If Apple finally bridges the touchscreen divide, the pressure will mount to deliver better pen and touch integration on Windows — and to tout the raw CPU and GPU advantages that still separate a maxed-out Dell or Lenovo workstation from even the mightiest Mac.