The M4 and the improved models of the same family, M4 Pro and M4 Mac will finally make their debut in several Macs next month. But Apple is now resting on its laurels with future silicon, claims say the M5 will appear next year.
We could see a similar launch timeline for the refreshed tablets, as we had with the recent 11-inch and 13-inch iPad Pro models that incorporate the company’s second-generation 3nm silicon.
Apple to Put M5 in Macs and iPads
Apple began development of the M5 and A19 in 2023, indicating Apple’s desire to maintain a competitive edge. We should also expect new iPad Pro models to launch in second half of 2025, according to the latest ‘Power On’ newsletter from Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, with both sizes (11-inch and 13-inch) sticking around. Very little is known about these tablets except that rumblings suggest they will go by the codenames J607 and J637.
Because Apple already debuted tandem OLED technology last year — it doesn’t make much sense to shift display suppliers. For the M5, it does not seem plausible that a transition to TSMC’s next-generation 2nm process will occur. The new chipset will probably with the mass production node ‘N3P’ 3nm, which is currently TSMC’s third variant after ‘N3E’ used for M4, A18 and A18 Pro.
This forecast comes after TF International Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo claimed back in March that Apple was going to skip the 2nm process for its chipsets on account of high wafer costs, instead suggesting that such laser-fine lithography was only slated to be introduced with an “A18” system-on-chip debuting with the iPhone 18 series in 2026.
One advantage of the M5 could be its use of TSMC’s Small Outline Integrated Circuit Packaging (SoIC), which was introduced in 2018. This packaging allows for the stacking of chips in a three-dimensional arrangement, leading to improved thermal management, reduced current leakage, and enhanced electrical performance compared to traditional two-dimensional chip designs.
While the specifications of the M5 remain unclear, the transition to the upgraded 3nm process may enable Apple to include more performance cores, similar to its approach with the M4.
FAQs
When will the M4 chip be available in Macs?
The M4 and its variants, M4 Pro and M4 Max, are expected to arrive in Macs next month.
What is the expected release date for the M5 chipset?
The M5 chipset is anticipated to be unveiled next year, with updated iPad Pro models launching in the second half of 2025.
