Here’s When You Can Buy the MacBook Air M5
Did you know you can configure Google to filter out junk? Follow these steps to improve your search results, including adding my work on Lifehacker as a preferred source .
On Wednesday, Apple officially entered the M5 era . The company not only announced the new M5 chip, emphasizing its AI computing power, but also the first batch of new devices that will launch alongside it. If you’re interested in purchasing an Apple device with the company’s latest and greatest hardware, it’s just around the corner.
However, the list of announced products was limited. While Apple announced that iPad Pro and Vision Pro versions with the M5 processor would go on sale on October 22, the company only showed off one Mac with the M5 processor: the 14-inch MacBook Pro. The 13- and 15-inch MacBook Airs remain on the M4 platform for now, as do the Pro and Max versions of the 14- and 16-inch MacBook Pros. But in a few days, we’ll find out when this might change.
New M5-based Mac models are on the horizon.
If you’re holding off on buying one of the current M4-equipped laptops in hopes that Apple will soon update them with M5 chips, you’ll have to wait a little longer. According to Mark Gurman, a typically reliable Bloomberg source , Apple doesn’t plan to update the MacBook Air line until next spring. This also applies to many other Mac products, including M5-equipped Mac Studio and Mac mini versions, as well as new Mac monitors.
The situation is similar with the MacBook Pro M5 Pro and M5 Max. Gurman doesn’t specify whether these laptops will appear in the spring, but he does report that Apple plans to update the 14- and 16-inch MacBook Pros with new chips “in early 2026.”
Gurman claims the new MacBook Pros will be reimagined to reflect Apple’s current design, and I suspect the same will be true for the MacBook Air M5. After all, the 14-inch MacBook Pro M5 looks identical to its M4 counterpart, with the only notable changes (besides the M5 chip) being longer battery life (24 hours) and a faster SSD.
If you’re not ready to buy a new MacBook yet, I don’t think there’s any point in waiting for the M5 unless you simply want the latest Apple hardware. The current M4 models are excellent, and in the case of the MacBook Air, they’re very reasonably priced, especially when they go on sale. On Prime Day in October , stores offered the 13-inch MacBook Air M4 for just $799 , which is excellent value for the money.
Apple is also working on a touchscreen MacBook Pro.
In the same report, Gurman discusses Apple’s current plans to release a MacBook Pro with a touchscreen, which would be a significant upgrade—no Mac has ever shipped with a touchscreen, unless you count the controversial Touch Bar (RIP), which simply added a touch-sensitive strip to the top of the keyboard.
According to Gurman, these touchscreens will be made using OLED technology, which the company already uses in its iPad Pro and iPhone. You’ll still have a standard keyboard and trackpad, so you can ignore the touchscreen entirely, although Apple is considering replacing Touch ID with Face ID, again similar to the iPad and iPhone. In this case, the camera cutout (the large notch at the top of the screen) could be replaced with a more compact notch, reminiscent of the iPhone’s Dynamic Island .
Besides the touchscreen, Apple may update the design of these MacBook Pros, making them thinner and lighter, and using the M6 chip instead of the M5. They may also receive new hinges and a lid to compensate for the force applied to the display. It’s worth noting that this will present a new challenge for the MacBook line, which has never previously faced the challenge of users intentionally touching the display.
Gurman claims the touchscreen MacBook Pro won’t arrive until late 2026 or even early 2027. When it does, its price will likely be at least “several hundred dollars higher than current versions.” Currently, prices for the MacBook Pro M4 Pro start at $1,999 for the 14-inch model and $2,499 for the 16-inch model. Apple plans to significantly upgrade the hardware, so the price increase is entirely justified. But if you’re looking for a Mac with the best value for money, it’s hard to beat the current MacBook Air M4, especially when it’s on sale.