Apple to Overhaul Mac Lineup With 11 New Models

[Zacharybinx34]

Model bloat!

 

[deconstruct60]

Token "Steve rolling over in his grave" post incoming:

Wasn't Apple's problem under Gil Amelio that there were too many products, scattered priorities, and unfinished projects? Isn't this one of the things Steve Jobs had to fix to turn Apple around?

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sigh. The number of folks falling for Gurman's hocus pocus here is really sad. The substantive reason this is 11 products is because Gurman is talking about TWO YEARS. So any product that gets released every 12-14 months can easily be counted twice.

so take the 11 and divide by two. Get 5 products. Go to Main Mac marketing page.

https://www.apple.com/mac/

There are just 6 Macs. So on average one product is being skipped per year and the rest are getting the general Apple yearly speed bump.

This isn't even close to the Amelio situation with a variety of Boxes of slots chasing niches for most part substantively non overlapping price points. In aggregate, the Mini and Studio cover a much broader range than obsessing over where they cross over in the transition between the two.

This isn't even close to the Amelio era complexity.

 

[Trubador]

Patiently waiting for the M5 Max Mac Studio.🤞🙏

 

[HVDynamo]

I think there's many folks who believe they'd use a touchscreen laptop way more than they actually would, but the people I know who use them well love them, so it will be interesting to see how this manifests with Macs.

I don't want touchscreen on a laptop or desktop machine. I hate fingerprints on the screen and it already irritates me enough having to deal with that on my iPhone and iPad even though I can't imagine trying to use a phone any other way. But on laptop/desktop, I am completely uninterested.

 

[deconstruct60]

Model bloat!

There is little model bloat here. Gurman is covering two years so counting models from multiple years. Divide 11 by 2 and basically at 5. There are 6 models on the mac market page.

What is mangled a bit in the Gurman presentation is how the "Ultra" model fares on the M7 refresh as net addition or simply replacement for 14/16 Pro. The 'entry' Pro just becomes the Pro.

Pretty good chance with the steep memory/NAND shortage they are not going to be able to add OLED and keep the legacy Pro 14/16 price points until get some relief on those components.

M6 Pro/Max are absent because there are lots of factors that are outside of Apple's control. And they are stretched thin responding to other stuff.

Apple has more than just Macs. So company wide there is more stuff the Amelio era, but also a much bigger company.

 

[Dorfdad]

I don't want an M5 MacBook Pro we should be getting M6 Pro and Maxes not last years model from iPad.

 

[B4U]

I am the person that gets contact for family support when things get complicated. But plugging in cables is something that can easily be taught. There is zero upside in keeping my family as tech dumb as possible so that I have to do all the work. And really not what 'support' teams should generally do. Part of support is helping users learn to do a better job for themselves that is within the means of their abilities.

Plugging two devices together with a cable is not that hard. Especially, when they are explicitly designed to be plugged into each other.

(Sorry, the words on my last post may have been little harsh/rude)
Trust me, I am with you on this one.
Then there is always that aunt/uncle/grandparent...😭
("Have you tried to plug it in first?"
"What do you mean by plug it in?" 🥲🙈)

 

[ikunalz]

Am I the only one still hoping for a larger screen iMac?🥲

After my 2015 iMac 27" broke in 2025, I was hoping that Apple would launch a larger-screen iMac I could replace my 27" iMac with. But given the eye-watering prices of Apple hardware after the recent price-hikes, I would be happy with a 24".

 

[Nick_P]

In other news, there will be new cars next year and new clothing from all the brands.

 

[Kabeyun]

Having eight different laptops, each undoubtedly with its own configurations, sounds incredibly stupid and exactly one of the things Steve Jobs undid in order to save Apple when returned.

 

[gummybear2026]

Mac price increase resurgence is in full effect.

 

[BVStudioCity]

Doing a second release of M5 macbook pros as opposed to having a "M6pro/max" is very underwhelming, even if they get a newer design with OLED and touch screen. It will now take over two full years to get from a M5pro/max to something state of the art faster. If there was something that would make me upgrade to a laptop with a last year model chip, especially since the M7 is being pre-gossiped as a banger, it would definitely not be a touchscreen on professional series machine.

I had hoped to upgrade for what was once thought to be the M6 cycle, looks like I'll be carrying my current MBP a year or two longer than anticipated.

 

[quietstormSD]

Updated products now will have a major buzz kill with the recent price hikes. Not that exciting anymore.

 

[petekjohnson]

Apple is preparing to refresh every Mac it sells over the next two years, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman.

The plans come amid a Mac resurgence, with sales projected to climb for a third consecutive year, partly thanks to a growing following among users who lean on the machines for demanding, agent-based AI workloads.

The wave of new Macs will begin this fall with a refreshed entry-level 14-inch MacBook Pro and the first new iMacs in two years. Here's everything coming, according to the report:

• Refreshed 14-inch MacBook Pro (entry-level) (Fall 2026): Among the first Macs with the new M6 chip; codename J804.
• Mac mini (timing dependent on memory supply): New model in testing with M5 Pro and M6 chips.
• Mac Studio (timing dependent on memory supply): New model in testing with M5 Max and M5 Ultra chips.
• Refreshed iMac (Fall 2026): First new iMacs in two years; codenames J833 and J834.
• High-end 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook (End of 2026 to Early 2027): All-new design with an OLED touch screen; M5 Pro and M5 Max chip options; codenames K114 and K116.
• Refreshed MacBook Air (Early 2027): 13-inch and 15-inch models similar to the current machines; codenames J913 and J915.
• 14-inch MacBook Pro (entry-level) (2027): 14-inch model resembling the high-end K114 and K116 design but with a standard M7 chip; codename K104.
• Refreshed MacBook Neo (timing unclear): New budget laptop using an A19 Pro chip and more memory; part of a periodic refresh cycle with new colors.
• Follow-up high-end MacBook (End of 2027 to Early 2028): Successor to K114 and K116, moving to M7 Pro and M7 Max chips.
• OLED MacBook Air (2028 earliest): A future version of the MacBook Air with an OLED panel, implicitly with a redesign.
• OLED iMac (timing unclear): New iMac model with an OLED screen, matching the technology coming to MacBook and MacBook Air.

Development of the refreshed iMacs and the entry-level MacBook Pro is reportedly complete, though the machines aren't expected to ship until the fall. The high-end MacBook with the OLED touchscreen remains the most notable model on the roadmap, and Apple is said to be testing it internally with macOS 27.1, which is scheduled for release at the end of October.

The Mac mini and Mac Studio have become popular among users running AI applications thanks to their processing power, but demand has been outstripping supply and new orders for some current models reportedly won't ship for at least three months. Apple CEO Tim Cook said in April that it could take "several months" for those machines to reach a supply-demand balance. As a result, the timing of successors to those machines is currently unclear.

Article Link: Apple to Overhaul Mac Lineup With 11 New Models

"new models" is a bit of a stretch, they aren't changing the designs or the names.

 

[macfacts]

Very much hoping that OLED MacBook Air in early 2028 has a completely, and I mean completely, redesigned chassis.
Come on, Apple, it’s a MacBook Air. Let it be a MacBook Air.

It has had the same basic weight and thickness dimensions since about 2010, right around 2.7-2.8 LB and 14-16 MM thin at its thickest point, or in the case of the recent MacBook Air, the entire thing.

Between it having absolutely no fan, it having a dramatically thinner OLED display, and all of the advancements that have happened since 2015, there is absolutely no reason it shouldn’t be in the ballpark of the 12-inch MacBook. Obviously a little bit wider, simply because it’s likely still going to have a 13.6-inch display, but it should at least be under 2.5 LB and around the thickness of the recent Apple Silicon iMac.

There’s really no excuse at this point; at one time you could say it was because of price, but now we have the MacBook Neo to fill the low-price slot. Let the MacBook Air be the thin and light machine. It’s supposed to be. Ultra thin, ultra light.

IMO,apple should be target the size of the MacBook Air to be better than the 2017 pixel book Chromebook.

 

[s1m]

Am I the only one still hoping for a larger screen iMac?🥲

No. Although I am now running a Mac Mini with dual 24in monitors which I can connect to Office365 for work so my "need" for a large iMac has reduced but I would love a 32in iMac - which I would run parallel to my mini but I will be forever disappointed I think.

 

[underthere]

Monterrey wallpaper looks so good.

 

[Cervisia]

Still can't get over the touch screen pros. Give me a 12-13 inch touch screen mac with 180 degree hinge and pencil support. Or an ipad that can run mac apps and has a more practical keyboard than the current ones.

But I don't need expensive touchscreen (or even oled..) in a Pro that I'll only use with its built in display 1% of the time, and the other 99% it spends on one of three desks in clamshell mode..

Apple sales team is still stuck in the olden days when only graphic designers and photographers bought a Mac...

 

[MontgomeryG]

M4, M5, M6 and M7 Chips in various different configurations?

Hmmm...let me try and figure out which machine is best for my purposes

View attachment 2647243


Ahh yes, the answer is 42

I'm getting Mid 90s vibes too. Too many SKUs. Wait - we can do educational and consumer brands ... something catchy like "Performa" (oh those were the days).

 

[trip1ex]

Death, taxes and new Macs.

 

[MontgomeryG]

Monterrey wallpaper looks so good.

As soon as my NIB Mac Mini M4 is set up (gotta do 'some' configuring before it's the daily driver - just got the SHURE mic today! (yay) I'm using Antelope Canyon in AZ (my current state). Size downsized from 2560x1080.

Question mode on : the SHURE has the midrange and near floor of their 300 dollar models for half the price for live and podcasts. Without needing a ton of extra GAS to make it work. Just came out in Sept last year so it may-not be common. The reviews are nice but I'm curious if anyone else is using the MV6.

 

[MontgomeryG]

I got an email yesterday from MSI about their limited edition 40th anniversary 18” gaming laptop. The price is an incredibly affordable $6,999.99 .

MSI's 40th anniversary laptop launches for $7,000 with free gifts, including Batman game

MSI has released its 40th anniversary edition of its Titan 18 HX gaming laptop. Covered in dragon artwork, the laptop costs a fortune but packs 96GB of RAM and two 2TB SSDs. It also comes with free gifts including a copy of the new Lego Batman video game.

www.notebookcheck.net

oh dear lord. And I thought people with a cocaine habit had problems.

 

[MontgomeryG]

Yet, few people in the real world actually care much in that segment. I certainly don't care, and I'm an Apple geek running all Retina devices, including a monitor that's higher resolution than probably what 99% of the members of this forum use.

Got that right - even if my prescription was updated (overdue) I still can't see rez above 4k on most sizes / distances etc. Then there's the whole 'ultra wide thing' (which I love) but they curve higher rez models. Not good if I'm doing precision linework for patents if I can't tell if the line is actually straight or not.

 

[MontgomeryG]

This isn't even close to the Amelio era complexity.

I hope you're right - I've been reading Steve Job's book on the NeXT years and his return to Apple while watching old presentations from the transition. MAN Apple had a lot of SKUs.

 

[EugW]

Got that right - even if my prescription was updated (overdue) I still can't see rez above 4k on most sizes / distances etc. Then there's the whole 'ultra wide thing' (which I love) but they curve higher rez models. Not good if I'm doing precision linework for patents if I can't tell if the line is actually straight or not.

How well are your eyes corrected? Cuz most optometrists aim for vision correction to 20/20, if it's possible with your specific eyes. With 20/20 vision, it's very, very easy to resolve more than 4K on 31.5" monitors at say 20" viewing distance. I have a very strong prescription and relatively significant astigmatism as well, yet I found 4K on 31.5" monitors on macOS simply too low a pixel density, which is why I'm on a 6K 31.5" monitor now. For 27", 4K is OK, but 5K is better. However, I find 27" monitors too small in general. 6K 31.5" is the sweet spot for me. It maintains a flat screen as well.

Most of those curved ultra wides are relatively low pixel density. For instance, a 5K ultra wide is usually 40", which yields the same pixel density as a 4K 31.5" monitor. As mentioned above, I find the pixel simply too low on those. A 5K ultra wide at 34" would yield the same pixel density as a 4K 27" monitor, which is OK. However, those 5K ultra wide 34" monitors are very uncommon.