Gurman: there will be new MacBook Pro (M6) at same time as MacBook Ultra (M5Pro/Max)

[Cmaier]

MacBook Ultra and new MacBook Pro both launching this fall, per rumors - 9to5Mac

Apple’s high-end MacBook plans are coming into focus after recent Bloomberg reports, including MacBook Ultra and a new M6 MacBook Pro.

9to5mac.com

Perhaps Apple is going to segment things so that MBP’s no longer get Max/Ultra, and MBU’s do?

 

[Vincent Hannah]

If this is the case, then I don't think the new touch screen models are going to be some new Ultra tier that sits above the regular Pro and Max MacBook Pros, they'll just BE the new Pro and Max MacBook Pros, with the base M6 chip replacing the base M5 in the existing, entry-level, non-touch chassis.

Yesterday's price increases already make them an Ultra tier. The 14" M5 Max MacBook Pro now starts at $4100! What are they gonna do, have a touch screen Ultra model with the same SoC that sits above it at $5K? That doesn't seem tenable anymore.

 

[Cmaier]

If this is the case, then I don't think the new touch screen models are going to be some new Ultra tier that sits above the regular Pro and Max MacBook Pros, they'll just BE the new Pro and Max MacBook Pros, with the base M6 chip replacing the base M5 in the existing, entry-level, non-touch chassis.

Yesterday's price increases already make them an Ultra tier. The 14" M5 Max MacBook Pro now starts at $4100! What are they gonna do, have a touch screen Ultra model with the same SoC that sits above it at $5K? That doesn't seem tenable anymore.

I suspect there will be Ultras, and that they will differentiate based on form factor, OLED, touch screen, and cellular connectivity (at the very least). And they will raise the price accordingly.

 

[Yoused]

and that they will differentiate based on form factor

We just have to hope that they hold on to the Steve Ethos and avoid the tragic model creep of the mid '90s. Performa 6110, 6112, 6115, 6116, 6117, 6118, 6200, 6220, 6230, 6290, 63…

 

[Vincent Hannah]

I suspect there will be Ultras, and that they will differentiate based on form factor, OLED, touch screen, and cellular connectivity (at the very least). And they will raise the price accordingly.

So these Ultras start at $3,000 and go up to 10,000? You really think that’s a viable option for Apple?

 

[Cmaier]

So these Ultras start at $3,000 and go up to 10,000? You really think that’s a viable option for Apple?

I do. If people don’t want to pay for them, they still have MBP, MBA, and Neo

 

[Vincent Hannah]

I guess we’ll see on the pricing.

But I don’t see how Gurman squares the circle between the supposed slimmed down redesign of the MacBook Ultra that was dependent on the lower power envelope of the 2nm M6 Pro and Max, and the news that it will now stick with the M5 Pro and Max. Changing the case design this late in the game is unlikely.

 

[Cmaier]

I guess we’ll see on the pricing.

But I don’t see how Gurman squares the circle between the supposed slimmed down redesign of the MacBook Ultra that was dependent on the lower power envelope of the 2nm M6 Pro and Max, and the news that it will now stick with the M5 Pro and Max. Changing the case design this late in the game is unlikely.

If the plan is to skip M6 Pro/Max, this was always the plan. Apple wouldn’t change at the last minute. As for thermals, I am guessing the “slimming” is minor, and mostly the top lid, but who knows.

 

[Vincent Hannah]

This is complete conjecture, but I saw someone on another forum speculate that what's being reported as the slimmed-down MacBook Ultra is really a redesign for the base level MacBook Pro only. The OLED touchscreen and 2nm base M6 would be great matches for a thinner, lighter "pro" device aimed at business users and prosumers rather than the true creative professionals and AI coders that need Pro and Max chips, maximum RAM and SSD, and greater thermal headroom. And it all fits together with the news of the M6 skipping the Pro and Max variants this generation.

More of a "MacBook Executive" at the new entry-level $1999 price. That would leave the MacBook Pro brand to stay chunky, expensive and touchscreen-free, starting at the new $2499.

 

[exoticspice1]

If the plan is to skip M6 Pro/Max, this was always the plan. Apple wouldn’t change at the last minute. As for thermals, I am guessing the “slimming” is minor, and mostly the top lid, but who knows.

yep.

 

[Andropov]

MacBook Ultra and new MacBook Pro both launching this fall, per rumors - 9to5Mac

Apple’s high-end MacBook plans are coming into focus after recent Bloomberg reports, including MacBook Ultra and a new M6 MacBook Pro.

9to5mac.com

Perhaps Apple is going to segment things so that MBP’s no longer get Max/Ultra, and MBU’s do?

That'd leave marketing in a funny place. MacBook Pro 2026, now 60% slower than last year's model!.

I'm still unsure about the whole touchscreen MacBook thing tbh. Unless there's a radical form factor change, adding touchscreen to a normal laptop is just not a good idea.