Apple plans to change its next-generation in-house Mac chip strategy by skipping high-performance M6 models and focusing on the M7 series with stronger on-device artificial intelligence (AI) features.

On June 25 local time, IT outlet NineToFiveMac, citing Bloomberg, reported that Apple plans not to release Pro and Max versions of its next M6 chip. It plans to offer only the base model and then focus on the M7 series.

If the strategy is implemented, it would be the first case since Apple silicon was introduced in 2020 in which only a base model is released without a Pro or Max variant. The base M6 is set to be unveiled later this year. The next-generation Mac chip lineup is expected to expand sequentially around the M7 series. Apple is reported to have adjusted its strategy to focus on developing the M7 series immediately after M6.

The base M6 chip has been tested in a new entry-level MacBook Pro, with a launch targeted for later this year. It is expected to support up to 200 gigabytes (GB) per second of memory bandwidth, focusing on improvements in memory bandwidth. That would be higher than the current M5 chip’s maximum memory bandwidth of 153 GB per second.

Apple then plans not to release additional M6-based derivatives and to introduce the next Pro and Max chips for the first time in the M7 generation. The base M7 is due as early as the first half of next year, with the M7 Pro and M7 Max due later that year. The M7 Ultra is expected to be released in 2028.

The next-generation M7 series is designed around a significant improvement in on-device AI processing performance. The base M7 is reported to be in development to support about 240 GB per second of memory bandwidth. Apple is also continuing development of the top-end chip in the existing generation. Bloomberg reported that the M5 Ultra chip is also under development, with a goal of launching it as early as this year alongside a new Mac Studio. This shows that development of existing high-performance chips is continuing separately from development of the M7 series.

It has not yet been confirmed whether the strategy shift will affect the launch schedule for what was said to be the first touchscreen laptop, which was known to be applied to the M6 MacBook Pro. The product has also been cited as likely to appear with the M6 MacBook Pro, but it remains unclear how the strategy change will affect its release timing.