TECH NEWS – Apple laptops won’t be discontinued, as the Cupertino-based company is reportedly preparing a higher price range.
The redesigned M6 MacBook Pro is expected to arrive in late 2026 or early 2027. This will mark the first time Apple switches portable Macs from mini-LED to OLED. Usually, when the tech giant introduces a new product line, it discontinues older models, as it did with the M4, M4 Pro, and M4 Max after releasing the M5 Pro and M5 Max family. However, Apple will not discontinue the M5 MacBook Pro lineup, because the M6 MacBook Pro series is expected to sit at an even higher price point.
Historically, every Apple product that moved to OLED became more expensive, because it’s a costly display technology. That’s bad news for anyone hoping to skip the M5 Pro and M5 Max MacBook Pro models and simply wait for M6, as OLED panels, a redesigned hinge and chassis, touchscreen features, and advanced 2 nm chipsets won’t come cheap. Bloomberg editor Mark Gurman wrote in his Power On newsletter that the M5 Pro and M5 Max MacBook Pro models will remain available even after the M6, M6 Pro, and M6 Max families launch.
“Apple’s next high-end MacBook Pro update will feature a touch-enabled OLED display – a component that will almost certainly raise the overall price. When Apple switched the iPad to OLED, its starting price rose by roughly 20%. A similar change with the iPhone in 2017 pushed the base price to $1,000 for the first time. Given that history, these upcoming laptops will likely sit above the current M5 Pro and M5 Max MacBook Pro models rather than replace them. While Apple could keep the traditional MacBook Pro name, a MacBook Ultra label would more clearly signal their position at the top of the lineup. One thing is certain: Apple is moving firmly upmarket,” Gurman wrote.
The base M6 MacBook Pro is not expected to get an OLED display, touchscreen, or redesigned chassis, as those upgrades would be exclusive to the M6 Pro and M6 Max models. If we’re guessing, the base M6 Pro MacBook Pro could land at $2,400 (about $200 more than its direct predecessor), while the M6 Max MacBook Pro could start at $4,000 (a $400 increase). These are estimates only, and Apple is expected to announce actual pricing during the official reveal.
