With Intel Out of the Picture, Apple Can Skip Annual MacBook Releases

Covering tech news, you sometimes feel like the million-mile-per-hour footrace of Silicon Valley will inevitably result in a Wile E. Coyote-style calamity. There’s a part of me that craves a little more sincerity and willingness for self-reflection. When we actually receive it, the result is a little more cringe-worthy. Intel’s new boss, Lip-Bu Tan, reportedly told staff the company was—effectively—cooked. That doesn’t sound great, but for one of Intel’s once-biggest partners, Apple, it may be a sign it can take it a little easier with the relentless yearly release schedule.

We won’t see any new MacBook Pro in 2025, according to Bloomberg’s regular Apple leaker Mark Gurman, who says Apple may delay these devices to the first half of 2026. In the last few years, Apple has launched a new MacBook Air in the first few months of the year before offering a new Pro model in the fall. As much as I wish this supposed delay was to finagle a new Mac design, Gurman suggests new MacBook Pros with M5 chips will still have the same design as every other Apple laptop we’ve seen since 2021. The rumored OLED display that promises far better contrast and colors reportedly won’t arrive until 2027.

There is some precedent for a delay. In 2023, Apple pushed out its M2 MacBook Pro in January. Later in October, the company debuted the M3 MacBook Pro 14- and 16-inch models in an all-black color at its “Scary Fast” event. Last year’s M4 MacBook Pro launch was a slightly more subdued affair. According to Gurman’s anonymous sources, there are new iPad Airs with M3 chips that would accompany a replacement for the baseline $350 iPad. We could see those as early as March or April 2026, so long as the launch timeline doesn’t go awry. Meanwhile, the iPad Pro could be upgraded with an M5 chip and arrive as soon as October.

While Apple wanted to keep its Macs in the oven, it apparently has no issues with its iPhone release schedule. There’s a supposed follow-up to the iPhone 16e on the way in the form of a $600 iPhone 17e. Maybe this upcoming model can finally nix the notch for the floating Dynamic Island seen in most modern iPhones. Gurman says the sequel to the iPhone 16, the iPhone 17, is still slated for fall to launch alongside iOS 26. We’ll also see Apple Watch upgrades and—if the stars align—a new Vision Pro headset that may finally be more comfortable to wear.

Apple’s been on a roll with its MacBooks since it dropped Intel CPUs in favor of its own ARM-based M-series chips in 2020. The latest M4 designs outclass most other Intel, AMD, or Qualcomm chips in pure benchmark performance, though Apple has been sitting on its laurels for far too long. Current MacBook Air and Pro models are visually indistinct from year to year. They have the same displays, keyboards, and notch cutout for the webcam and microphone. Apple is ending support for all older Intel-based Macs, but anybody not still using an Intel-based Mac has little reason to upgrade.

Intel was also caught off-guard by the proliferation of AI and Nvidia’s dominance of the AI training chip market. Those woes stacked so high they eventually led to the ouster of previous CEO Pat Gelsinger. Tan, who’s now in the driver’s seat, reportedly told staff that “we are not in the top 10 semiconductor companies” compared to 30 years ago. According to The Oregonian, based on a leaked internal message to staff, Tan said turning the ship around will be a “marathon” and cited the need to be smaller and more agile to compete. Intel is reportedly cutting thousands of workers across all sectors, and more could find their head on the chopping block in the next few months.

If big tech companies would actually slow down with their rapid release schedule and instead focus on making sure their core products offer a real reason for consumers to upgrade, then we’d all benefit. However, Gurman suggested the new release timing was an attempt to “get back to more consistent revenue growth.” Mac sales have slumped in recent months, but changing the release timing doesn’t necessarily make any device more enticing, especially if it’s practically the same damn thing as one released the year before, and the year before that, and the year before that…