Apple has fully upgraded its Mac product line, betting that AI demand will drive a new wave of device replacement.

Apple is gearing up for a comprehensive refresh of its Mac product line, looking to capitalize on the surging demand for high-performance computers driven by the artificial intelligence boom to further boost its Mac business.

According to media reports citing people familiar with the matter, Apple plans to roll out new versions of all its Mac products from this fall through next year, including the highly anticipated desktop updates, multiple new laptops, and a redesigned MacBook Pro.

The new round of Mac product updates will kick off with the entry-level 14-inch MacBook Pro. This model will be one of the first Macs equipped with the brand-new M6 chip, and Apple will also release the first updated iMac in two years.

In recent years, the Mac business has continued to recover, with market forecasts pointing to sales growth for the third consecutive year. As more and more users leverage Macs to run computationally intensive AI Agents, the Mac has gained a new user base. However, tight memory chip supplies have also put pressure on Apple's production and forced the company to raise product prices.

Currently, the research and development work for the new iMac and entry-level MacBook Pro has been completed, but they are not expected to be officially launched until this fall. Among them, the new MacBook Pro has the internal codename J804, while the new iMac has the codenames J833 and J834 respectively.

01

OLED Touchscreen MacBook Pro Is About to Arrive

The most anticipated part of this product roadmap is the newly redesigned high-end 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro.

This marks the first time in Mac product history that an OLED (Organic Light-Emitting Diode) screen has been adopted, and it is also the first time a touchscreen has been introduced to the Mac. OLED can deliver more vibrant colors and is already widely used in iPhone and iPad Pro.

Apple internally named this series of products K114 and K116, and the current plan is still to release them between the end of this year and early next year.

Apple is currently conducting internal testing of the new laptops using macOS 27.1, and this operating system is expected to be officially rolled out to consumers at the end of October.

These two MacBook Pro models will be equipped with the M5 Pro and M5 Max chips that were launched in March this year. At the same time, Apple has already started planning for the next-generation products, which are expected to be launched between the end of 2027 and the beginning of 2028, and will be upgraded to M7 Pro and M7 Max processors by then.

02

MacBook Air to Be Updated Early Next Year, OLED Version to Launch as Early as 2028

Apple also plans to launch the new MacBook Air early next year.

The new 13-inch and 15-inch MacBook Air have the internal codenames J913 and J915 respectively, and their overall appearance will largely continue the existing design. However, Apple is also developing a MacBook Air with an OLED screen, which is expected to launch as early as 2028.

The last major design overhaul of the MacBook Air was in 2022.

In addition, Apple plans to launch another redesigned entry-level 14-inch MacBook Pro next year, with the internal codename K104. This product will share the same appearance as the next-generation high-end MacBook Pro, but it will be equipped with a standard M7 chip instead of the Pro or Max variants.

03

MacBook Neo to Be Upgraded, Mac mini and Mac Studio to Be Updated Simultaneously

Apple is also developing a new generation of MacBook Neo, which is positioned as an entry-level laptop.

The company is currently testing a new model equipped with an upgraded A19 Pro chip and larger memory. The MacBook Neo was first launched in March this year, and Apple plans to continuously update this product in the future through methods such as introducing new color options to maintain market momentum.

In the longer term, Apple is also developing a new iMac with an OLED screen, to align it with the future high-end MacBook Pro and MacBook Air. OLED screens will also be applied to the new iPad mini later this year.

At the same time, Apple plans to launch new Mac mini and Mac Studio models with upgraded chips.

The Mac mini currently under testing will offer two processor options: M5 Pro and M6; the Mac Studio will be equipped with M5 Max and M5 Ultra chips. However, the release timeline of these products, as well as their final chip and memory configurations, will still depend on the supply of memory chips.

04

AI Applications Drive Surge in Demand for Mac mini and Mac Studio

Thanks to their powerful computing capabilities, support for external displays, and compatibility with diverse computing environments, Mac mini and Mac Studio have become important hardware platforms for running AI applications.

Demand has grown so rapidly that it has outpaced supply, leading to extended lead times of at least three months for new orders of some existing Mac mini and Mac Studio models.

Supply chain pressures have also made it difficult for Apple to launch new products at its usual pace and maintain sufficient inventory levels.

In April this year, Apple CEO Tim Cook stated that it might take "several months" for these products to reach a balance between supply and demand.

In February this year, Apple also announced that for the first time, it will produce Mac mini in Houston, USA, expanding its Mac manufacturing base and no longer relying entirely on production in Asia.

05

Mac Prices Rise Across the Board, and a Leasing Program Will Be Launched

In June this year, Apple raised the prices of all its Mac products.

Among them, the price of the MacBook Neo increased from $599 to $699; the 13-inch MacBook Air went up from $1099 to $1299; and the price of the 16-inch MacBook Pro with the highest-spec memory and storage configuration has risen to $9999.

According to a previous article from Wall Street CN, Apple plans to launch a brand-new device leasing program (Apple Upgrade) on July 28, and Mac products will also be included in this program.

This article is from the WeChat Official Account "Wall Street CN Max", author: Yang Chen, and is republished with authorization from 36Kr.