M7 MacBook Pro: Three MacBook Pros in One Year. Smart Plan or Chaos?

Apple is preparing a new entry-level MacBook Pro sooner than anyone expected. According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, as reported by 9to5Mac, a 14-inch M7 MacBook Pro, code-named K104, will get the new design as early as the first half of 2027. That is only about six months after the redesign arrives on the high-end models this fall.

Normally, a new MacBook Pro design takes years to reach the cheapest model. After the 2021 redesign, the base model waited until 2023. This time, it is about six months. And honestly, the more I read about it, the less sense it makes to me.

In this article: M7 MacBook Pro: three MacBook Pros in one year · Smart or chaos? · Who buys the M6 MacBook Pro in the old design? · Is it fair to sell something that will soon look old? · A more expensive MacBook with an older chip? · The touch screen: marketing, in my opinion · $1,999 for the base MacBook Pro · If I needed a Mac today · MacBook Ultra? · What would make me say: this is the MacBook I waited for · FAQ

M7 MacBook Pro: three MacBook Pros in one year

Here is the plan, as reported:

• Fall 2026: entry-level MacBook Pro with M6 in the old design, and high-end models with M5 Pro and M5 Max in the new design with an OLED touch screen. They may be called MacBook Ultra.
• Spring 2027: entry-level M7 MacBook Pro with the new design.
• Fall 2027: high-end refresh with M7 Pro and M7 Max.

Apple reportedly dropped its high-end M6 chips to speed up M7. And all of this happens while the base MacBook Pro already costs $1,999.

Smart or chaos?

In my opinion, we have to think about why this is happening. The leadership at Apple changed, and now what is happening looks chaotic. We are not used to it. Today we see it as chaos, and maybe in a year or two we will get used to it and take it as normal. Or maybe it is already the beginning of Apple’s decline. We will see.

But in my opinion, what Cupertino is doing now is not good. It creates confusion for us, the users. And releasing so many MacBooks in one year will rather hurt Apple itself, at a time when Apple says everything is getting more expensive because of memory.

Who buys the M6 MacBook Pro in the old design?

Only people who have a problem with their MacBook and must replace it quickly. And even there, I am not sure. If it stays in the old design, I think people will rather buy an even older model, because it is cheaper, and probably with the same memory. For a person buying a MacBook, that will be the better deal.

And let us not forget: people who buy computers and MacBooks from Apple are not the same customers who buy iPhones. Here we are talking about people who are more rational. They buy one computer every few years. Many people buy an iPhone more to show status and to show how cool they are. With a computer, Apple itself knows it does not work like that.

Is it fair to sell something that will soon look old?

No. When we know, or at least everyone is saying, that in spring this MacBook will come in the new design, people will rather wait. To me, the whole thing is strange right now. What Apple is doing does not make sense. But maybe Apple knows better what it is doing. Or maybe they are confused themselves and just started shooting blindly, so that people talk about them as much as possible.

A more expensive MacBook with an older chip?

I still do not want to believe that the more expensive laptop will get the older chip. Either Cupertino is not telling us something, or the new names M6 and M7 on the cheaper versions are more about marketing, while the expensive one stays on the older chip. As we know, the Pro versions are always more powerful, let us say a monster for work. So we have to wait. As I said, I do not really believe it. But right now anything can happen. If it is true, it is certainly not fair.

The touch screen: marketing, in my opinion

I already said it: in my opinion, a touch screen on a laptop is the biggest nonsense. I take it really as a feature for marketing, or just to add something new. I am sure almost nobody will work with a finger or a stylus on the display. It is very impractical. Unless they make it open completely, so you can hold the Mac in front of you like a display. Maybe somebody would use that, but then it is just a very heavy iPad. So it will be about marketing, and later nobody will talk about it anymore. More in my touchscreen MacBook Pro article.

$1,999 for the base MacBook Pro

The base MacBook Pro now costs $1,999, which a year ago was the price of the version with the Pro chip. Apple blames memory prices.

I do not know where the limit is. But from what we see, it seems only at Apple everything went up so aggressively, and they blame only the price of memory. How can it jump so much that the base versions cost as much as last year’s Pro versions? Apple does not want to tell us how much more it really pays for this memory. Every gadget is now sold outrageously expensive. What does it all mean? How is it even possible that for things that come out every year, new and almost the same, we now have to pay like for gold? I wrote about the same story with the iPhone 18 Pro.

If I needed a Mac today

I would probably buy a last year’s model now, one that is not so expensive yet and can still be found new. Because we already know, I would say 99 percent, that the new ones coming now will be incredibly expensive. The M4 is an excellent chip that works perfectly, and it will be enough for at least another four years. It is a computer. As I say, it is not an iPhone that we just want to change. See also my M6 Mac release schedule article.

MacBook Ultra?

It is probably just marketing. Or Apple comes with a completely new form factor, and there will be a new line: Pro, and then Ultra. We will see, because I am very curious about that too. But it will certainly be expensive like gold. I can already see how outrageously expensive these computers will be.

What would make me say: this is the MacBook I waited for

That is hard now. When we look at how big the lineup is, and how much a person can choose from, I think people will not buy just like that, because of the prices. In my opinion, only two things can save Apple. Either it brings prices down to what people were used to, or, and this is only my fear, it does something dirty and stops updating macOS on older Macs sooner, to force people to move to new models. That is only my opinion, but with prices like these, I am afraid it will rather be the second option.

Featured photo: Giorgio Trovato via Unsplash

M7 MacBook Pro: FAQ

When is the M7 MacBook Pro coming?

According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, an entry-level 14-inch M7 MacBook Pro with the new design could arrive as early as the first half of 2027.

What changes in the new MacBook Pro design?

The redesign is expected to bring a slightly thinner chassis, an OLED display with touch support, and possibly a Dynamic Island.

What MacBook Pros are coming in fall 2026?

Reports point to an entry-level MacBook Pro with M6 in the current design, and high-end models with M5 Pro and M5 Max in the new design, possibly called MacBook Ultra.

How much does the MacBook Pro cost now?

The entry-level MacBook Pro starts at $1,999. 9to5Mac expects the redesigned 14-inch model with M5 Pro to cost over $2,500.

Should I buy a MacBook Pro now or wait?

In my opinion, if you need a Mac now, a last-year M4 model is still excellent and should last at least four years. If you want the new design at a lower price, the M7 model is expected in spring 2027.

Sources: 9to5Mac, Bloomberg (Mark Gurman), MacRumors, TrendForce.

Our Take

Three MacBook Pro waves in about a year is not a plan for users. In my opinion, it is chaos.

Mac buyers are rational. They will wait for spring, or buy last year’s M4 and keep it for years.

Apple, the only thing that would really impress me now is a fair price.