Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

Macs With M5 Chips Expected to Launch in This Order

MacRumors

MacRumors

macrumors bot
Original poster
Apr 12, 2001
66,301
35,338


Apple supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo today outlined mass production timing for the M5 series of chips, which he expects to be used in both future Macs and Apple Intelligence servers. The rollout will likely begin next year.

apple-silicon-mac-lineup-2024-feature-purple-m5.jpg

Kuo expects the standard M5 chip to enter mass production in the first half of 2025, followed by the M5 Pro and M5 Max chips in the second half of the year. Then, he expects the M5 Ultra chip to enter mass production in 2026.

So, nothing too surprising.

The timeframes suggest that M5 Macs will launch in a similar order as M4 Macs. Apple will likely update the MacBook Pro lineup with M5 series chips in October next year, and the MacBook Air should receive the M5 chip in the first half of 2026. Apple is likely to update the Mac Studio and Mac Pro later in 2026, or in 2027. It is unclear if the iMac and Mac mini will be updated next year, as those models are not always updated annually.

M4 Macs have rolled out in a similar manner so far. Apple updated the MacBook Pro, iMac, and Mac mini with the M4 series of chips in October, and the MacBook Air is expected to be updated by the end of March next year. Mac Studio and Mac Pro models with M4 Max and/or M4 Ultra chips are expected to launch in mid-to-late 2025.

As previously rumored, Kuo said M5 series chips will be manufactured with TSMC's third-generation 3nm process, known as N3P. That will result in the usual year-over-year performance and power efficiency improvements over the M4 series of chips.

Apple Intelligence servers are currently powered by the M2 Ultra chip, and they are expected to start using M4 series chips next year. Beyond that, Kuo said Apple will eventually switch to high-end, server-grade M5 chips that are better suited for artificial intelligence inferencing. He said these chips will also be manufactured with the N3P process, offer improved thermal performance, and have a separated CPU and GPU design.

Article Link: Macs With M5 Chips Expected to Launch in This Order
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/2024/12/23/m5-macs-launch-timing/
Last edited:
Normally I should suppose the pro machines come first because they’ll sell in much less quantity. I’ve always understood that those first batches of new chips come in low quantity.

But hey, there is so much more Apple is doing I don’t understand these days. Maybe Timmy is asking Siri what to do next…
 
  • Like
Reactions: Cervisia and dredlew
adamw said:
Why would anyone buy a M4 Max or M4 Ultra Mac Studio, if the M5 versions are coming out shortly after the M4 Mac Studios launch?
Click to expand...
This happens every year. People were buying M2 Mac minis instead of the 8 month old Mac Studio M1 and right now people are buying M4 Mac minis instead of the old M2 Mac Studio.... Apples release schedule kinda blows for high end users. I'm thinking I may just work from low end machines going forward and update them for frequently. The $499 Mac mini m4 is more powerful than any computer I've used so I'm wondering why I should spent 4+ times the cost on a new studio with older chipsets.
 
  • Like
  • Love
Reactions: rezwits, interessiert, W£S and 7 others
hovscorpion12 said:
Mac Studio is most likely on a 2-year schedule.
Click to expand...
Which doesn’t make sense, when the entry-level chips can outperform the supposed high-end chips. Given that reality, even less people will buy high-end machines, making them even less cost effective/more expensive.

I don’t see a reason why Apple can’t refresh the whole lineup within the span of a few months so that there is a clear value proposition for each product. The current rollout strategy is all messed up.
 
  • Like
  • Love
Reactions: AdamNC, Harry Haller, Rychiar and 4 others
dredlew said:
Which doesn’t make sense, when the entry-level chips can outperform the supposed high-end chips. Given that reality, even less people will buy high-end machines, making them even less cost effective/more expensive.

I don’t see a reason why Apple can’t refresh the whole lineup within the span of a few months so that there is a clear value proposition for each product. The current rollout strategy is all messed up.
Click to expand...
I told you before… it’s scheduled by Siri 😂🤣😂
 
  • Haha
  • Like
Reactions: MacHeritage, dredlew and Cervisia
hovscorpion12 said:
Mac Studio is most likely on a 2-year schedule.
Click to expand...
The Mac Studio and Pro missed the M3 generation because of process node issues. The N3B node didn't support the technology behind the UltraFusion interconnect that allowed Apple to stitch two Max chips together to make the Ultra (the N3E node does). Apple was rumored to have designed a single-die version of the Ultra but because of yield issues with N3B it wasn't viable, so it was scrapped. Since the Ultra is a key part of the Studio lineup (and the only chip for the Pro) it's clear Apple opted to just skip the M3 generation.

There are rumors that Apple is going to be utilizing TSMC's chiplet/tile architecture for the M5 generation which will enable more modular SoP designs and open the door for some really interesting desktop-class chip designs, so that bodes well for the Studio and Pro to get an M5 update.
 
  • Like
Reactions: KeithBN, interessiert, haddy and 1 other person
dredlew said:
Which doesn’t make sense, when the entry-level chips can outperform the supposed high-end chips. Given that reality, even less people will buy high-end machines, making them even less cost effective/more expensive.

I don’t see a reason why Apple can’t refresh the whole lineup within the span of a few months so that there is a clear value proposition for each product. The current rollout strategy is all messed up.
Click to expand...
Only on the SC and by under 20%, regarding the MC and gpu entry level is far behind
 
  • Like
Reactions: KeithBN
bradman83 said:
The Mac Studio and Pro missed the M3 generation because of process node issues. The N3B node didn't support the technology behind the UltraFusion interconnect that allowed Apple to stitch two Max chips together to make the Ultra. Apple was rumored to have designed a single-die version of the Ultra but because of yield issues with N3B it wasn't viable, so it was scrapped. Since the Ultra is a key part of the Studio lineup (and the only chip for the Pro) it's clear Apple opted to just skip the M3 generation.

There are rumors that Apple is going to be utilizing TSMC's chiplet/tile architecture for the M5 generation which will enable more modular SoP designs and open the door for some really interesting desktop-class chip designs, so that bodes well for the Studio and Pro to get an M5 update.
Click to expand...
just speculations, if the mac studio and mac pro gets M4 family, probably wont get the M5 and will go straight to the so called 2nm
 
  • Like
Reactions: Chuckeee
As a Studio Ultra owner, I don't buy another until Apple flips the schedule from:
  1. Base
  2. Pro/Max
  3. Ultra
...to...
  1. Ultra
  2. Pro/Max (note this doesn't alter the MB launch schedule at all- still right in the same month as it has been)
  3. Base
Instead, I just wait the few months for Mnext MAX release and save several thousand dollars for comparable power.

Of course, if a new Ultra is such that a buyer gets to own "the most powerful" Mac for upwards of a year+, that's different. But I won't overspend by a few thousand again if Mnext MAX ≈ Mlast Ultra.

To each his own of course.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
  • Haha
Reactions: KeithBN, Daul, mganu and 6 others
Rychiar said:
This happens every year. People were buying M2 Mac minis instead of the 8 month old Mac Studio M1 and right now people are buying M4 Mac minis instead of the old M2 Mac Studio.... Apples release schedule kinda blows for high end users. I'm thinking I may just work from low end machines going forward and update them for frequently. The $499 Mac mini m4 is more powerful than any computer I've used so I'm wondering why I should spent 4+ times the cost on a new studio with older chipsets.
Click to expand...

Considering their storage and RAM upgrade costs, it seriously is becoming cheaper to get a bunch of Minis. If your workload can be split/clustered, makes way more sense to get a couple maxed out Minis than a single Pro.
 
  • Like
  • Haha
Reactions: eva2000, dredlew, W£S and 4 others
Apple may have a strategy of release to maximize its profits, but I sure hate to see the Studio being somewhat last. The Studio Max fills the needs of the advanced hobbyist and those who used to have Mac Pros but can't deal with today's Mac Pro either for feature of dollar value.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Daul and mganu
Onelifenofear said:
“Apple is likely to update the Mac Studio and Mac Pro (to m5) later in 2026, or in 2027”

Perhaps people that want to work for a year or 2 to n the meantime?
Click to expand...

I think there may have been some confusion here as I (and possibly the commenter you were replying to) originally read the post as the Studio M4/Max & Ultra coming out in mid-to-late 2025 and the Ultra coming out in 2nd half of 2025 which wouldn't make sense. I now see the M5/Ultra coming out in 2026. Not sure if the original article was corrected since the 1st few comments or I just read through it too quickly.

Then I think what we're likely to see is continuing pattern that the base processor of a new generation is released first and then the bigger variants are rolled out over the following year. Which means at any given time, the single processor performance of a Mini or MacBook Pro (and possibly Air) are likely to be faster than the available Mac Studio/Pro. However, the latter will have more processors and higher memory bandwidth (plus connectivity, cooling, and other advantages).

Presumably those are the right trade-offs for their respective market segments. Though I believe it's going to be hard for many buyers to justify if the Mac Studio/Pro refreshes lag 2 years behind the MBP/etc and meanwhile Apple sustains 20% YoY speed bumps in base CPU performance. Twice the number of 80% CPU that also have higher memory bandwidth likely works for certain markets. Twice the number of 60% CPU...
 
I really wish Apple would release these chips starting at the top and work down. Release the M5 Max and Ultra first in the Studio and Pro in summer 2025, then the M5 Pro in the fall with the MacBook Pro and Mac mini, then the M5 MacBook Airs and iMacs in the spring 2026 and then just continue that trend. It would make so much more sense.
 
  • Like
  • Haha
Reactions: Daul, dredlew, Chet-NYC and 4 others
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back