Apple might not get the next-generation MacBook Pro with the upcoming M5 processor out this autumn, as had been expected. The notebook will instead launch early next year, according to a respected source of insider information.
If true, it means that Apple’s new Mac processor will once again launch in an iPad.
Rumor: No M5 MacBook Pro this fall?!
Apple settled into a tradition of introducing fresh MacBook Pro models every autumn, each with a new version of the M-series processor. It’s not a hard-and-fast rule, but fall 2020, 2021, 2023 and 2024 all brought new MacBook Pro variants, the last running the Apple M4 chip.
So it only makes sense that everyone expects an updated premium macOS notebook with the Apple M5 in fall 2025. But it reportedly won’t happen — the wait will be longer.
“The company [Apple] had been planning to release new 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pros — code-named J714 and J716 — later this year with M5 chips,” Bloomberg reported on Thursday. “But Apple is now internally targeting a launch early next year.”
Bloomberg’s sources apparently did not give a reason for the potential delay. But it doesn’t seem to be related to the M5 processor, given that an M5-powered iPad Pro is allegedly still on track to launch in autumn, replacing the M4 version from spring 2024. If so, then it’ll be the launch of the M5, just as the 2024 version of the tablet ushered in the M4 months before it came to any Mac.
MacBook Pro redesign… eventually
Part of what makes the possible delay of the M5 MacBook Pro puzzling is that this will supposedly be a “chip-and-ship” upgrade. The only significant hardware change expected is the faster processor, and the notebook will retain the same design used since 2021. With so little changing, what’s the delay?
A redesign is reportedly coming, but not until the M6 version, which is currently expected in late 2026. The chassis will get a facelift, but the standout improvement will be an OLED display, a shift numerous sources have predicted for months.
