Apple outlines Mac refresh schedule through 2028 amid memory chip shortage
Apple plans multiple updates to its Mac lineup, including new M-series chips and OLED displays, while navigating ongoing memory-chip constraints that have raised prices across the market.
Apple said it will roll out a series of Mac updates spanning 2026 to 2028 as it adapts to a global shortage of memory chips that has pushed prices higher for computers worldwide. The company has already introduced the MacBook Neo and refreshed the MacBook Air and MacBook Pro with M5-series processors, and it expects further releases later this year.
In the fall of 2026, Apple is slated to launch an entry-level 14-inch MacBook Pro equipped with an M6 chip built on 2-nanometer technology, and a refreshed 24-inch iMac that will also likely receive the M6 processor without major design changes. Late 2026 or early 2027 could see a MacBook Pro (or "MacBook Ultra") featuring an OLED touchscreen, while higher-end 14-inch and 16-inch models will retain M5 Pro and M5 Max chips because Apple does not plan to release M6 Pro or M6 Max variants.
Apple is also developing updated Mac Studio and Mac mini models that will incorporate M5 Max, M5 Ultra, M5 Pro and M6 chips, though launch dates remain uncertain due to RAM shortages and cost pressures. Early 2027 is expected to bring refreshed 13-inch and 15-inch MacBook Air models with the M6 chip, as well as an entry-level 14-inch MacBook Pro powered by an M7 chip but without an OLED screen.
A new low-cost MacBook Neo, potentially using an A19 Pro chip and offering more memory and new colors, is also slated for release, though timing is not fixed. A second-generation OLED MacBook Pro, equipped with M7 Pro and M7 Max chips designed for AI workloads, could arrive in late 2027 or early 2028, followed by OLED versions of the MacBook Air and iMac around 2028.
Bloomberg reports that Apple is accelerating development of its M7 AI-focused chips while skipping some M6 variants, resulting in a chip rollout that includes M5 Ultra in late 2026, M6 later that year, and M7 in the first half of 2027, with M7 Pro, Max and Ultra extending into 2028. The ongoing memory shortage has already forced Apple to adjust pricing for Macs and iPads in June and discontinue certain Mac mini and Mac Studio configurations that offered higher RAM options, which could further affect launch schedules.