O'Grady's PowerPage

Tag: M6

  • Rumor: Debug kit leaks hint at possible iMac Pro featuring the M5 Max chip

    Rumor: Debug kit leaks hint at possible iMac Pro featuring the M5 Max chip

    The iMac Pro may be returning in a big way.

    According to leak posts on Chinese social media websites Weibo and Bilibili over the past week, Apple is thought to be developing a high-end iMac featuring the M5 Max chip. The finding comes from leaked kernel debug kit files used by Apple engineers. These kits, which are used for kernel debugging, enumerate unreleased Apple hardware by internal identifiers, such as codenames and platform names, and can also include separate references that map the products to chip codenames and marketing names.

    The software contains references to an ‌iMac‌ with the identifier J833c running on platform H17C. H17C is associated with the codename “Sotra C,” which relates to the expected marketing name “M5 Max.” This suggests that an ‌iMac‌ with the M5 Max chip is in active testing.

    The leaks refer to several devices believed to be used exclusively for internal testing, such as iPad minis running tvOS and MacBooks with the A15 chip, so there is a chance that the M5 Max ‌iMac‌ is used for testing only. Apple is expected to be introducing its M5 Max Chip in 2026, and there have been rumors about Apple reintroducing the high-end “Pro” iMac for several years now. Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman has posited that Apple was still “working on a larger-screened ‌iMac‌ aimed at the professional market” following the launch of the Apple silicon ‌iMac‌. This rumor was also supported by noted Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo.

    The kernel debug kit has also mentioned several additional Mac configurations, such as 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro notebooks with the M5 Pro and M5 Max chips, a 14-inch ‌MacBook Pro‌ with the M6 chip, and 14- and 16-inch ‌MacBook Pro‌ models with the M6 Pro and M6 Max chips. Other products mentioned include 13- and 15-inch MacBook Air models with the M5 chip, Mac mini models with the M5 and M5 Pro chips, and new Mac Studio models with the M5 Max and M5 Ultra chips. Finally, the leak also lists a MacBook with the A18 Pro chip, which is thought to be an all-new, budget model.

    As always, stay tuned for additional details as they become available.

    Via MacRumors

  • Rumor: OLED MacBook Pro feature could be limited to M6 Pro and M6 Max models

    Rumor: OLED MacBook Pro feature could be limited to M6 Pro and M6 Max models

    If you’re hankering after a MacBook Pro with the long-awaited OLED display, you might have to snag the higher-end M6 Pro or M6 Max version.

    Per Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, while Apple is expected to redesign the MacBook Pro for the first time since 2021 in the near future, and is thought to be incorporating an OLED display with touch support as an evolution from its current miniLED displays, along with a thinner chassis, potential support for 5G, and possibly more of a Dynamic Island cutout than a notch, it might reserve the OLED display for the higher-end units.

    The company currently offers three MacBook Pro models. A base 14-inch model with an M5 chip, a higher-end 14-inch model with the M4 Pro and M4 Max chips, and a 16-inch model with the M4 Pro and M4 Max chips. Outside of performance, the low end and high-end 14-inch models are largely identical.

    The key difference outside of the chipsets is the fact that the base model only offers a single fan, versus two fans on the Pro and Max models. The entry-level M5 MacBook Pro retails for $400 less than the M4 Pro model.

    Gurman’s latest “Power On” newsletter offers the following comments:

    “But two Macs on the road map do mark major shifts. I previously wrote about the first one: a revamped M6 Pro and M6 Max MacBook Pro with an OLED display, thinner chassis, and touch support. That’s slated to arrive between late 2026 and early 2027.

    In short, likely don’t expect a redesign or OLED on the base model MacBook Pro. At least for now, it appears that Apple aims to extend the existing design language on the entry-level model for at least one more year.

    So, if you want the redesign when it debuts as early as next year, you’ll need to buy a higher-end MacBook Pro with an M6 Pro or M6 Max chip.”

    Stay tuned for additional details as they become available.

    Via 9to5Mac and Bloomberg

  • Rumor: Apple looking to include vapor chamber cooling feature into M6 iPad Pro

    Rumor: Apple looking to include vapor chamber cooling feature into M6 iPad Pro

    The next-generation iPad Pro could gain vapor chamber cooling.

    Per Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman and the Power On newsletter, the M6-based iPad Pro could gain this feature, which would allow it to stay fanless as well as incredibly thin.

    With the M4 iPad Pro last year, Apple overhauled the cooling system, bringing a copper heatsink that dissipates heat through the Apple logo on the back of the tablet. This may not be enough, as Apple could be looking to add the feature to the M6 iPad Pro in order to push performance even further.

    Apple debuted its first vapor chamber cooling system on the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max, which essentially eliminated overheating on the iPhone during normal tasks. It particularly helps out in gaming.

    The difference can also be seen in the base model M5 14-inch MacBook Pro, which approaches thermal throttling before it can reach its peak.

    It’s also thought that Apple may be working to include a vapor chamber in the iPad Air. Apple is now working on the feature, with plans to integrate it as soon as the next round of updates. The company is on an 18-month upgrade cycle for the iPad Pro, suggesting that the vapor chamber could be added around spring 2027.

    Stay tuned for additional details as they become available.

    Via 9to5Mac and Bloomberg

  • Rumor: M5 chip expected to debut with upcoming iPad Pro, Vision Pro, MacBook Pro, Mac mini, and iMac this year and next year

    Rumor: M5 chip expected to debut with upcoming iPad Pro, Vision Pro, MacBook Pro, Mac mini, and iMac this year and next year

    If you’re hankering for the debut of Apple’s upcoming M5 chip, the rumor mill has it arriving later this year in the iPad Pro, Vision Pro, MacBook Pro, Mac mini, and iMac.

    The M5 chips will reportedly be manufactured with TSMC’s latest third-generation 3nm process, which should result in slight performance and power efficiency improvements over M4 chips fabricated with its second-generation 3nm process.

    The next-gen iPad Pro, which was updated with an OLED display and a much thinner design last year, is expected to receive an M5 chip and enter mass production in the second half of 205. The current iPad Pro models with the M4 chip launched in May 2024, and Apple typically updates the iPad Pro on a roughly 18-month cycle, so the next models could be released in September or October. Apple is also rumored to be outfitting the upcoming iPad Pro with ultra-thin bezels.

    Where the Vision Pro is concerned, Kuo stated that the Vision Pro will be updated to the M5 chip later this year. The wearable headset is expected to enter mass production in the third quarter of 2025, which began last week. The other specs seem likely to remain the same, and the M5 may be the only change. The current Vision Pro with the M2 chip was released in February 2024.

    Kuo does not expect a true Vision Pro 2 to launch until 2028.

    For the MacBook Pro, Apple is expected to release updated 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models with M5, M5 Pro, and M5 Max chips in October this year. The notebook is expected to receive its first major redesign since 2021 next year, with upgrades to include an OLED display and a thinner design. Of course, Apple will also be on to M6 chips by then.

    Last week, AppleInsider shared a list of alleged identifiers for future Mac models, including both a Mac mini with an M5 chip, a Mac mini with an M5 Pro chip, and an iMac with an M5 chip, which could arrive alongside the next MacBook Pro and Mac mini models later this year.

    Stay tuned for additional details as they become available.

    Via MacRumors and AppleInsider

  • Rumor: Apple has begun design work on M6 chip with built-in modem features

    Rumor: Apple has begun design work on M6 chip with built-in modem features

    Apple’s next-gen M-series chips could feature built-in modems.

    Apple is rumored to be designing its M6 processor with an in-house cellular modem for its anticipated 2027 Mac lineup. The company is currently planning to update its MacBook Pro lineup to an M5 processor later this year. Other Mac models will get the M5 upgrade as well after the reveal and details of the M5 chip emerge during the June WWDC conference.

    The current MacBook models rely on Qualcomm-based Wi-Fi chips to connect to wireless internet. Apple has been looking to break away from its dependency on Qualcomm for years, although it will still use its chips in some upcoming products. The company is said to be planning significant changes for its 2026 model MacBook Pro, which will mark the 20th anniversary of the MacBook Pro. It is also believed to debut a new case design and is expected to move to a thinner OLED screen. The notebook is said to be likely to integrate an onboard cellular modem that would be based on the existing C1 in-house modem chip used in the new iPhone 16e.

    It’s also possible that Apple could offer MacBook models with and without the modem, the lower-end models shipping without the option. A MacBook model with a built-in cellular modem could also act as its own hotspot, providing a signal for other nearby devices. It’s also thought that the modems would probably include satellite connectivity and GPS, since the C1 modem already incorporates these features.

    Stay tuned for additional details as they become available.

    Via AppleInsider and Bloomberg