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Apple’s M7 MacBook plans raise new pricing fears
A Bloomberg rumor points to an AI-driven M7 rollout, just as MacBook price hikes and memory shortages are already making buyers uneasy.
Image: TechRadar
Apple’s MacBook roadmap may be heading for a sharper turn than usual. According to Mark Gurman in Bloomberg’s Power On newsletter, Apple is planning an unusual sequence for its next M-series chips: a stripped-back M6 generation followed quickly by a more ambitious M7 family built around bigger AI upgrades.
Per Gurman, M6 would arrive late this year with only a standard version, skipping the usual Pro, Max, and possibly Ultra variants. The idea, he says, is to move faster to M7, which could launch in the first half of 2027. M7 Pro and M7 Max would follow at the end of 2027, with M7 Ultra in 2028. Apple is also said to be developing M8 chips with even stronger AI capabilities for 2028.
“The reason for this break with tradition: AI. Apple had been planning major neural-processing upgrades for the M7 family and ultimately decided those improvements were important enough to justify accelerating the next generation rather than completing the M6 lineup.”
That timing matters because Apple is already dealing with a more immediate problem: price pressure. TechRadar notes that Mac sales have been helped by the MacBook Neo, launched in March 2026, but recent increases have complicated the picture. The MacBook Neo went up by $100 in the US, £100 in the UK, and AU$150 in Australia. The publication also says MacBook Air price hikes have made some Windows 11 laptops look more attractive by comparison.
TechRadar also points to broader supply concerns. The publication says the worsening RAM crisis later this year and into 2027 is a key reason Apple raised Mac prices, and argues that tighter memory supply could keep pressure on pricing. It also cites persistent rumors that Apple may look to Chinese memory chip makers instead of the three biggest suppliers: Micron, Samsung, and SK Hynix.
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Against that backdrop, a more aggressive AI push may be a hard sell. TechRadar says reaction on Reddit and other social platforms has been skeptical, especially as buyers weigh higher laptop prices against still-unclear benefits from Apple Intelligence.
One Reddit user quoted by the site put it bluntly:
“I was about to buy a new MacBook to replace my M1 Pro with an ailing battery and small storage. But then Apple jacked up the prices by almost 20%. And now they are diving into AI headfirst. It might be time for me to look at Framework laptops.”
None of this is confirmed, and Gurman’s report remains a rumor. But if Apple really is reshaping its Mac chip schedule around AI while buyers are already feeling the sting of higher prices and component shortages, the company may be testing MacBook demand at exactly the wrong moment.
Computing Editor
Tomas lives in the terminal. He covers chips, laptops, and operating systems with a focus on performance and efficiency. He reads kernel changelogs the way other people read fiction, and he's always on the hunt for the perfect mechanical keyboard switch. If it processes data, Tomas has an opinion on it.
via TechRadar
