While the M4 chip rollout is still underway—with the M4 MacBook Air anticipated to launch shortly—the M5 chip is poised to make its debut this fall, reportedly addressing a contentious choice made with the M4.
M5 chip to debut on Mac, skipping the new iPad Pro
Recently, Mark Gurman provided insights into which devices are set to host Apple’s M5 chip first, highlighting a significant shift in strategy from the M4 rollout.
In an article for Bloomberg, he stated:
the M5 chip transition will commence—simultaneously with new MacBook Pro models in the fall. Following that, the M5 iPad Pro is expected to be released by the early part of 2026. This means the launch sequence for the M4 and M5 chips has been reversed, with the M5 arriving on Mac before the iPad Pro.
Last May, Apple caught many off guard by unveiling its new M4 chip in the latest iPad Pro rather than in a Mac.
It took a whole six months before any Mac model was equipped with the new chip.
While iPad Pro enthusiasts, including myself, were excited to receive the new chip first, it was less favorable for Mac users, particularly due to the prolonged wait for the initial M4 Macs, which only arrived in November.
However, with the introduction of the M5 series this fall, Apple seems to be returning to its earlier strategy of prioritizing Mac for new M-class chip launches, specifically starting with the newest MacBook Pro.
As the MacBook Pro will be the first to feature the M5 chip, it’s likely that we’ll see not just the standard M5 chip, but also the M5 Pro and M5 Max debut concurrently—similar to the rollout for the M3 series in 2023.
Were you displeased with Apple launching the M4 in the iPad Pro first? Share your thoughts in the comments.
