Apple’s M4 rollout isn’t yet complete, with the M4 MacBook Air expected to launch soon. But the M5 chip is expected to debut this fall, and when it does, Apple will reportedly remedy an unpopular M4 decision.
M5 chip coming first to the Mac, not Apple’s new iPad Pro
Over the weekend, Mark Gurman reported on the first devices expected to feature Apple’s M5 chip. And in doing so, he identified a key change from the company’s M4 approach.
the M5 chip transition will begin — alongside new MacBook Pro models in the fall. Then we should get an M5 iPad Pro by the first half of 2026. In other words, the M4 and M5 chip transitions will see their release orders flipped, with the M5 coming to the Mac before the iPad Pro.
Last May, Apple surprised many of us by debuting its brand new M4 chip not in a Mac, but in the new iPad Pro.
It then took a full six months before a single Mac gained the new chip.
While iPad Pro users like myself enjoyed getting the latest chip first, it was an especially unpopular move for Mac users. In part, no doubt, because of the long wait for the first M4 Macs to arrive in November.
But with the M5 line this fall, Apple appears to be reversing course and going back to its former strategy of launching new M-class chips on the Mac. In this case, with the new MacBook Pro.
And since the MacBook Pro will be the first M5 device, we should see not only the base M5 chip debut, but also the M5 Pro and M5 Max at the same time—just like what happened with the M3 line in 2023.
Did you take issue with Apple giving iPad Pro the M4 first? Why or why not? Let us know in the comments.
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