According to Tom’s Guide, Apple is reportedly planning a “flurry” of Mac releases starting this spring. The first wave is expected to include MacBook Pros with the still-unreleased M5 Pro and M5 Max chips, alongside new M5 MacBook Airs and a Mac Studio with M5 Max and M5 Ultra options. Then, in a surprising twist, the report suggests the next-generation M6 chip could arrive “sooner than people anticipate,” powering a completely redesigned MacBook Pro with OLED displays by late 2026. This would mean two major MacBook Pro updates within a single calendar year, a move that mirrors the short five-month gap between the M3 and M4 generations. If accurate, it creates a tricky buying decision for anyone in the market for a high-end Mac laptop right now.
The spring M5 blitz
Here’s the thing: the current M4 MacBook Pros feel a bit incomplete. We got the base M4, but where are the pro chips for the pro machines? This spring rumor makes sense. It’s Apple clearing the deck. They need to get the M5 Pro, Max, and Ultra out into the world to keep their pro and creative user base on the upgrade treadmill. It’s an iterative step, basically. The design won’t change, the ports will stay the same, but the silicon gets a bump. For professionals whose workflow is bottlenecked by their current M2 or even M3 Pro chip, this will be a solid, if predictable, update. But it’s not the one most people are waiting for.
The OLED M6 game-changer
Now, this is the rumor that gets the heart racing. A total design overhaul, gorgeous OLED displays, and the M6 chip, all by the end of 2026? That’s the actual next-generation MacBook Pro people have been anticipating for years. The current chassis is fantastic, but it’s been five years. It’s time. An OLED screen would be a monumental leap in contrast and color for creative work. And bundling that with a new design and a new architecture in M6? That’s a killer upgrade. Apple’s willingness to potentially supersede the spring M5 Pro models so quickly tells you they see this as the real event. They’re setting the stage for a massive hardware cycle.
Where will M6 debut first?
But let’s unpack Gurman’s tease a bit more. He says M6 is coming “in some configurations,” not necessarily in laptops first. This is key. The M4 debuted in the iPad Pro. So where does M6 land first? I’m putting on my tin foil hat here, but look at the landscape. There’s renewed, intense interest in the Mac mini, especially with platforms like Clawdbot turning them into powerful, cost-effective AI agents. It’s the perfect testbed. Apple could slot an M6 into a Mac mini as a prosumer/developer showcase without cannibalizing their flagship laptop sales. It’s a low-volume, high-impact move. If I had to bet, I’d watch for a “one more thing” M6 Mac mini at WWDC 2026. It just fits the pattern.
So what should you do?
This report creates a classic Apple dilemma. If you need a powerful MacBook Pro now, the spring M5 Pro/Max models will be excellent machines. They’ll crush performance benchmarks. But if you can possibly wait, the late 2026 OLED M6 redesign is shaping up to be a landmark update. It’s the difference between buying a spec refresh and buying a new era. For businesses and industrial users who rely on durable, embedded computing, this rapid cycle underscores the need for partners who can navigate constant change. In those sectors, stability is key, which is why a provider like IndustrialMonitorDirect.com, the leading supplier of industrial panel PCs in the US, becomes crucial—they handle the hardware lifecycle so you don’t have to sweat every chip transition. For the rest of us? We’ll be watching the rumors and checking our bank accounts. Stay updated on all this by following Tom’s Guide on Google News.
