In which month do you expect M5 Pro/Max MacBook Pro to launch?

[m1maverick]

The rumor mill is pretty solid on this one. M6 Pro/Max will get the redesign (about a year away). M5 launched on its own because they had that chip ready, and the M5 Pro/Max needed more time.

The M5 isn't a radical redesign over the M4 nor are the Pro / Max versions of the M3 / M4 significantly different than their corresponding base chips. Apple was able to release M3 / M4 base, Pro, and Max at the same time. Why not the M5 versions?

My thought is Apple is holding something back whether it be the Pro / Max chips themselves, form factor, screen, something else. But I am speculating just like everyone else. As I said Apple does what Apple does regardless if it makes sense to any of us.

 

[srminton]

The way I am thinking about it is: Why release the base 14" Macbook Pro with an M5 processor but not the more capable M5 Pro and M5 Max systems. Previously Apple released all three at the same time. Why is this time different?

That said this is Apple so who knows, they do their own thing regardless if we think it makes sense.

they haven't always released the non pro/max versions at the same time. the M1 and M2 MacBook Pros came out before M1 Pro/Max and M2 Pro/Max.

they changed the display size of the vanilla version from 13 to 14 and then released M3 and M4 versions together in the past couple of years, but there is precedent for this staggered release.

I don't know the reasons, but one possibility is just that M5 Pro/max are not ready yet, which was the case with the staggered release for M1 and M2.

 

[Allen_Wentz]

The M5 isn't a radical redesign over the M4 nor are the Pro / Max versions of the M3 / M4 significantly different than their corresponding base chips. Apple was able to release M3 / M4 base, Pro, and Max at the same time. Why not the M5 versions?

My thought is Apple is holding something back whether it be the Pro / Max chips themselves, form factor, screen, something else. But I am speculating just like everyone else. As I said Apple does what Apple does regardless if it makes sense to any of us.

You suggest that "...nor are the Pro / Max versions of the M3 / M4 significantly different than their corresponding base chips." IMO there are probably huge differences in yields among the Pro / Max versions of the chips, significantly different than their corresponding base chips. And yields do improve over time. Couple the yield differences with the sales differences and we might know why "Apple does what Apple does."

But we do not know yields or sales, so like everyone else IDK why "Apple does what Apple does."

 

[m1maverick]

You suggest that "...nor are the Pro / Max versions of the M3 / M4 significantly different than their corresponding base chips." IMO there are probably huge differences in yields among the Pro / Max versions of the chips, significantly different than their corresponding base chips. And yields do improve over time. Couple the yield differences with the sales differences and we might know why "Apple does what Apple does."

Then how do you explain M3 / M4 Pro / Max being released along with the base M3 / M4 chips?

Again, I am not married to what I have said just throwing out another option based on an observation.

 

[m1maverick]

they haven't always released the non pro/max versions at the same time. the M1 and M2 MacBook Pros came out before M1 Pro/Max and M2 Pro/Max.

they changed the display size of the vanilla version from 13 to 14 and then released M3 and M4 versions together in the past couple of years, but there is precedent for this staggered release.

I don't know the reasons, but one possibility is just that M5 Pro/max are not ready yet, which was the case with the staggered release for M1 and M2.

I specifically mentioned the 14" MBP which excludes the M1 and M2 base models.

 

[DIMEZ]

It make no sense for apple to release an m5 version of the pro chips in march ...and the a redesign m6 in oct/nov.

just sayin.

but weren't model numbers already confirmed?

 

[Dunkirk20]

It make no sense for apple to release an m5 version of the pro chips in march ...and the a redesign m6 in oct/nov.

just sayin.

but weren't model numbers already confirmed?

Good assumption. The release of the M5 Pro and Max chips helps determine if the M6 redesign is released this year or next year. If January, then it’s likely to happen this same year as the rumours suggest, but if March, then likely next year 2027.

 

[Falhófnir]

Good assumption. The release of the M5 Pro and Max chips helps determine if the M6 redesign is released this year or next year. If January, then it’s likely to happen this same year as the rumours suggest, but if March, then likely next year 2027.

Well, they were willing to push out the 2019 15" MacBook Pro in May, before the 16" replaced it in November. I don't think they're all that worried about multiple releases inside a calendar year, it was fairly normal historically for the MacBook Pro.

 

[DIMEZ]

yeah but those were intel chips.

 

[The Game 161]

surely will be soon if they are planning m6 macbook pro OLED by end of 2026

 

[PBG4 Dude]

I think it’ll be in March, and they’ll have an event to announce the new A19 Mac laptop.

 

[macwoodsy]

I’m really hoping for a March release. From what I’ve read, that seems likely.

I’m surprised no one has mentioned the “m5 with only one fan” vs the “m5 pro/max with two fans” element. I need a new MacBook Pro, but I’m not thrilled with the heat management of the regular m5. So I’m holding out for an m5 pro with the 2 fans. Is that not a big factor for people? I hope it comes asap!

 

[DIMEZ]

The two fans haven't been a big factor to me. Fans rarely kick in..only when really rendering/encoding videos.

Maybe my workload isn't heavy enough or intense for it.

my base machine is for graphics and video and has been fine with the 1 fan so far.

I'd like to know from other m5 users about the fans and how often they run. for the most part my machine is always quiet and doesn't got hot.

 

[MacBH928]

i am about to upgrade from a 8 year cycle mbp 2015. If Tim released m5 max in March and full redesign m6 in December I'll #$%^& .

I still have ptsd from ipad 3 to ipad 4 release dates

 

[MacBH928]

Will just be a cpu bump, OLED's will be next year however they stated it would be end of this year with M6 but that doesn't seem plausible. I wouldn't mind a thinner Pro, tried two Pro's but couldn't stand them and went for the Air instead.

what could you not stand in the Pro? its just a heavier more capable Air

 

[m1maverick]

I’m really hoping for a March release. From what I’ve read, that seems likely.

I’m surprised no one has mentioned the “m5 with only one fan” vs the “m5 pro/max with two fans” element. I need a new MacBook Pro, but I’m not thrilled with the heat management of the regular m5. So I’m holding out for an m5 pro with the 2 fans. Is that not a big factor for people? I hope it comes asap!

There are probably some online reviews where this is covered.

 

[mdcmdcmdc]

I'm planning to upgrade to an M5 Pro MBP when it's announced in the spring (assuming it is, of course). My 13" 2020 M1 MBP is still going strong for *most* of what I do with it, but it's been feeling its age this past year for photo processing (Adobe Lightroom and plugins).

For me, the appeal of the "Pro" chip is Thunderbolt 5, which allows screaming-fast external SSDs (almost as fast as internal).

I've seen the rumors about the M6 MBP redesign later this year, but I hope Apple doesn't skip M5 Pro/Max in the current version. I'd rather buy the last of a mature generation than the first of something new, but that's just me.

 

[mdcmdcmdc]

The M5 isn't a radical redesign over the M4 nor are the Pro / Max versions of the M3 / M4 significantly different than their corresponding base chips. Apple was able to release M3 / M4 base, Pro, and Max at the same time. Why not the M5 versions?

My thought is Apple is holding something back whether it be the Pro / Max chips themselves, form factor, screen, something else. But I am speculating just like everyone else. As I said Apple does what Apple does regardless if it makes sense to any of us.

IIRC, the M5 is a newer foundry process than the M4, so there may have been capacity limits that forced them to separate the releases.

Alternately, the higher memory bandwidth of the M5, versus the M4, may have imposed additional complexities on the motherboard designs due to the higher core counts in the Pro/Max chips.

Just speculating.

 

[DaveEcc]

i am about to upgrade from a 8 year cycle mbp 2015. If Tim released m5 max in March and full redesign m6 in December I'll #$%^& .

I still have ptsd from ipad 3 to ipad 4 release dates

I remember back in like 2000, I picked up a new PC. AMD Athlon CPU and a top of the line GeForce 3 GPU. I got it on a Saturday.

On Monday, nVidia announced the GeForce 3 Ti-200 and Ti-500, and AMD announced the Athlon XP where they finally switched from 3DNow to SSE.

The entire system "obsoleted" the very next business day. While it was annoying, the new chips did come at higher prices. Would I have opted for them? Likely for the CPU, since it essentially ensured no new 3DNow support. I'm not sure about the GPU. But the big point is, you'll notice I survived this massive trauma. You'll survive it too. Especially when you're buying in knowing full well this will happen, whereas it was a surprise to me back in the day.

 

[hajime]

The redesign is to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the MacBook Pro. I cannot imagine why Apple would want to postpone its release to next year. So they should release the M5 Pro and M5 Max this or next month to lower the number of people getting pi**ed off with short interval between updates. Since they love to make small changes in each iteration, why they suddenly deicded to separate the CPU and GPU cores in the last generation before the redesign to make the performance gap smaller? Are the M5 Pro and M5 Max cpus for the redesign?

 

[mdcmdcmdc]

Any time you buy the latest and newest computer, it's always going to be yesterday's news before long. If you need a new MBP now, the current M5 or M4 Pro/Max models are fantastic options that should serve you well for years.

If you can wait for the next generation, then wait. But that's a game that never ends. As soon as Apple announces the M5 Pro/Max MBPs, the focus will shift to the upcoming M6 redesign. When that comes out, everybody will start talking about next year's M7. It just goes on and on.

 

[mdcmdcmdc]

I remember back in like 2000, I picked up a new PC. AMD Athlon CPU and a top of the line GeForce 3 GPU. I got it on a Saturday.

On Monday, nVidia announced the GeForce 3 Ti-200 and Ti-500, and AMD announced the Athlon XP where they finally switched from 3DNow to SSE.

The entire system "obsoleted" the very next business day. While it was annoying, the new chips did come at higher prices. Would I have opted for them? Likely for the CPU, since it essentially ensured no new 3DNow support. I'm not sure about the GPU. But the big point is, you'll notice I survived this massive trauma. You'll survive it too. Especially when you're buying in knowing full well this will happen, whereas it was a surprise to me back in the day.

I remember those days! I was with a small startup in the late 1990s, and I was buying computers for a couple of new employees (Dell or Micron minitowers). It seemed like the processor speeds were increasing every two weeks!

I once heard a story--I suspect it's an urban legend--that somebody once emailed Steve Jobs, angry that Apple had brought out a new Mac model so soon after this person bought the previous model at the same price.

According to the story, Jobs emailed back, "Tell me one thing your Mac could do last week that it can't do now."

 

[MacBH928]

I remember back in like 2000, I picked up a new PC. AMD Athlon CPU and a top of the line GeForce 3 GPU. I got it on a Saturday.

On Monday, nVidia announced the GeForce 3 Ti-200 and Ti-500, and AMD announced the Athlon XP where they finally switched from 3DNow to SSE.

The entire system "obsoleted" the very next business day. While it was annoying, the new chips did come at higher prices. Would I have opted for them? Likely for the CPU, since it essentially ensured no new 3DNow support. I'm not sure about the GPU. But the big point is, you'll notice I survived this massive trauma. You'll survive it too. Especially when you're buying in knowing full well this will happen, whereas it was a surprise to me back in the day.

My condolences . It was worse back then because every new CPU was like 2X performance of the last.

I remember those days! I was with a small startup in the late 1990s, and I was buying computers for a couple of new employees (Dell or Micron minitowers). It seemed like the processor speeds were increasing every two weeks!

I once heard a story--I suspect it's an urban legend--that somebody once emailed Steve Jobs, angry that Apple had brought out a new Mac model so soon after this person bought the previous model at the same price.

According to the story, Jobs emailed back, "Tell me one thing your Mac could do last week that it can't do now."

The correct reply would be: For the same price i could get a Mac that does so much more

 

[MacBH928]

Any time you buy the latest and newest computer, it's always going to be yesterday's news before long. If you need a new MBP now, the current M5 or M4 Pro/Max models are fantastic options that should serve you well for years.

If you can wait for the next generation, then wait. But that's a game that never ends. As soon as Apple announces the M5 Pro/Max MBPs, the focus will shift to the upcoming M6 redesign. When that comes out, everybody will start talking about next year's M7. It just goes on and on.

not exactly, there is a point where you buy a product and its outdated in few months. Imagine if you would buy an Intel MBP and 1 months later Apple releases all new m1 MBP that is like 3x faster same price.

 

[mdcmdcmdc]

not exactly, there is a point where you buy a product and its outdated in few months. Imagine if you would buy an Intel MBP and 1 months later Apple releases all new m1 MBP that is like 3x faster same price.

My brother did that, he bought a 16" Intel MBP in early 2020. It was a little more than one month before the M1 announcement, but Apple still supported it with SW and security updates until recently, and it served his needs just fine and he still uses it.

Going back a bit, I bought a 68040-based Quadra 650 in January, 1994 (replacing a 1989 Mac IIcx), at which time it was common knowledge that Apple would soon be switching to the PowerPC. Personally, that didn't bother me because even then, as I said in post #42 above, I'd rather buy the last of a mature generation than the first of something new.

The following summer (1995) I added a PowerPC 601 PDS card, and that kept me cranking until I upgraded to a Blue & White G3 minitower in 1999.