Apple is lining up a new 14-inch MacBook Pro and updated iMacs for October, setting up a relatively modest Mac refresh this fall.
The new MacBook Pro will be the entry-level 14-inch model with Apple’s M6 chip. Apple has been testing the machine with macOS Golden Gate 27.1, which is scheduled to arrive at the end of October and fits the hardware’s expected launch window.
The October update will cover only the entry-level 14-inch MacBook Pro. Buyers looking for the higher-end models will have to wait longer.
Apple is developing new MacBook Pro models with OLED displays and M5 Pro and M5 Max chips, but those machines are not expected until late 2026 or early 2027. That leaves the professional end of the lineup unchanged for now.
Apple is also taking an unusual approach to its chip lineup this generation. Rather than introducing M6 Pro and M6 Max versions alongside the M6, the company is holding its bigger neural processing improvements for the M7 generation.
The iMac update will be even more straightforward. Apple’s 24-inch all-in-one is set to get a newer chip, with no major exterior redesign planned.
The current iMac uses the M4, while the next version could move to either the M5 or M6. A larger redesign with an OLED display is also in development, but that machine remains several years away.
That leaves the 24-inch iMac as Apple’s only all-in-one desktop, with no larger model for buyers who want more screen space without pairing a Mac with a separate display.
For buyers who need a new Mac now, the October refresh will bring a faster entry-level MacBook Pro and a refreshed iMac. The bigger changes are further out, particularly for the MacBook Pro lineup.
Apple’s higher-end notebooks with OLED displays and new Pro and Max chips could arrive between late 2026 and early 2027. The end-of-October release of macOS 27.1 also gives Apple a natural window to introduce the first of its new Macs.
