When Apple unveiled the MacBook Air M5 and MacBook Pro M5 Pro/M5 Max in March, it marked the beginning of the M5 generation — not the end. Several desktop Macs are still running previous-generation silicon, and all signs point to a wave of upgrades arriving in the coming months.
The clearest next step in current reporting is the Mac Studio. AppleInsider, Macworld, and MacRumors have all pointed to refreshed desktop Macs after the spring MacBook cycle, with the Mac Studio consistently appearing near the front of the line. Early-2026 reporting often mentioned a midyear window, but the exact timing remains fluid and Apple has not confirmed any launch event.
The M5 Ultra remains the most attention-grabbing part of the rumor set because Apple never shipped an M4 Ultra in a commercial Mac. If the current reporting holds, the next Mac Studio would jump from M3 Ultra-class machines straight to an M5 Ultra generation.
Specific CPU and GPU counts remain speculative, so the safer takeaway is about positioning rather than exact numbers. The next high-end desktop chip is expected to target the same heavy creative and technical workloads as prior Ultra-class Macs, with more headroom for video, 3D, and local AI tasks.
The Mac mini is also in line for an M5 refresh. Reporting still places M5 and M5 Pro versions somewhere in the next phase of the desktop rollout, potentially alongside or shortly after the Mac Studio, even if the precise window is less settled than earlier rumors suggested. The compact desktop has become one of Apple's best-selling Macs thanks to its aggressive pricing and surprisingly capable performance, and an M5 update would further cement its position.
An M5 iMac is also expected before the end of 2026, though its timeline is less certain. Some analysts suggest it could arrive alongside the Mac mini, while others place it later in the fall alongside new iPhones.
What remains unclear is the place of the Mac Pro in the same cycle. The strongest public reporting right now centers on Mac Studio and Mac mini, not on a new tower-class Mac Pro, so it is safer to treat the Mac Pro as out of focus rather than imminent.
For now, the desktop M5 story looks staggered rather than fully mapped out. The laptops moved first, and the next concrete signs point to the rest of Apple’s desktop lineup taking shape in stages.