Tag: Apple M5 Chip

Apple hasn’t finished rolling out the M4 chip yet, but there’s already buzz about the next big thing: the M5 chip. Expected to launch this autumn, the M5 chip will reportedly address a decision from the M4 rollout that didn’t sit well with many users.

M5 Chip Coming to Macs First, Not iPads

Over the weekend, tech journalist Mark Gurman shared insights on which devices will first get the M5 chip. This time, the strategy is different from what we saw with the M4.

According to Gurman’s report on Bloomberg:

• The M5 chip will start with new MacBook Pro models this fall.
• An M5 iPad Pro won’t come until the first half of 2026.

This switch means that, unlike the M4, which debuted in an iPad Pro, the M5 will first appear in Macs. Last year, Apple surprised everyone by introducing the M4 chip in the iPad Pro before any Mac got it, leading to a six-month wait for Mac users.

Why the Change?

The decision to launch the M4 in the iPad Pro first was not popular among Mac users. The long wait for the M4 MacBooks was particularly frustrating. With the M5, Apple seems to be returning to its traditional approach, prioritizing Macs for new chip introductions.

What to Expect with M5

Since the MacBook Pro will be the first to get the M5, we can anticipate seeing not just the basic M5 chip, but also the M5 Pro and M5 Max versions. This mirrors the strategy used with the M3 series in 2023, ensuring a broad spectrum of performance options right from the start. In summary, Apple’s move to bring the M5 to Macs before iPads could be seen as a response to feedback from the M4 rollout, aiming to keep Mac users happy with timely upgrades.

Apple has kicked off the production of its latest M5 chip, according to reports from South Korean sources. This new chip could show up in devices as early as this year.

The process of putting together the M5 chip began last month, as noted by ET News. This final step, called packaging, comes after the chip is made and involves protecting it and connecting it to other parts of a device.

Apple works with a company called TSMC to make the chips on special silicon discs. After that, other companies, like Taiwan’s ASE Group, America’s Amkor, and China’s JCET, handle the packaging. Reports say ASE started first, with the others set to follow one by one.

Right now, the focus is on making the basic M5 chip, not the more powerful versions like the M5 Pro, M5 Max, or M5 Ultra. The companies involved are also building new facilities to help produce these higher-end models later.

The M5 chip is expected to have a better design based on ARM technology and is being made using TSMC’s advanced 3-nanometer method. Apple chose not to use an even newer 2-nanometer process, likely to keep costs down. However, the more advanced M5 versions will still be a big step up from the current M4 chips, thanks to a special stacking technique called System on Integrated Chip (SoIC).

This stacking method layers the chips on top of each other, which helps manage heat better and reduces power loss compared to flat designs. Apple is also teaming up with TSMC on a new version of this stacking that uses a mix of materials, including carbon fiber, for even better results.

The first device to get the M5 chip is likely to be a new iPad Pro, expected to start production in the second half of next year, according to analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. Here’s when other devices might get the M5:

• iPad Pro: Late 2025 or early to mid-2026
• MacBook Pro: Late 2025
• MacBook Air: Early 2026
• Apple Vision Pro: Fall 2025 to Spring 2026

Hints of the M5 chip have already been found in Apple’s official code. Reports also suggest the chip’s design will help power both regular devices and Apple’s AI servers, boosting performance for both everyday users and cloud services.

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