Apple M6 might launch earlier than expected, 2026 will be the year of the Mac

Apple’s first launch event of the year is approaching and often takes place toward the end of the first quarter. This year’s event could bring plenty of new devices, especially for fans of MacBooks and Apple’s desktop lineup, as Mark Gurman emphasizes in his latest Power On newsletter. According to Gurman, new MacBook Pro and MacBook Air models, but also a new Mac Studio and the long-awaited upgrade for the Apple Studio Display are expected to launch in the first half of the year.

The second half of the year might get exciting as well. In addition to a new Mac Mini and an entry-level MacBook with an iPhone chipset, the redesigned MacBook Pro that has already been rumored multiple times is on the schedule. It is expected to sport an OLED touchscreen and will likely debut toward the end of the year. This aligns with recent supply chain leaks, which indicate that Samsung has opened a new factory for these OLED panels and has already kicked off production. The upcoming MacBook Pro redesign is unlikely to be the only Apple product to switch from LCD to OLED displays in the future. The iPad Mini, iPad Air and in the longer term even the iMac and MacBook Air are expected to take advantage of colorful OLED panels with high contrast ratios.

But back to Mark Gurman and his latest predictions. 2026 will also see the debut of the Apple M-series chipset, which could launch earlier than previously expected. The gap between the Apple M3 launch in October 2023 and the Apple M4 announcement in May 2024 was only about half a year, and Gurman somewhat cryptically suggests that this could happen again in 2026. Therefore, it’s possible that the first Apple M6-powered Macs could be unveiled at WWDC in early summer.