(Image credit: Future)

Apple started the push with its latest generation of Apple Silicon hardware with the recent launch of the MacBook Pro M5 and iPad Pro M5. Now plans for a new Mac mini and Mac Studio have appeared, powered by the Apple M5 or M5 Pro hardware.

The last update for Mac mini was in October 2024, moving it onto the M4 and M4 Pro, while the Mac Studio landed in March 2025, with options for M4 Max or M3 Ultra.

According to Mark Gurman from Bloomberg, we're going to see updates to those two desktop models in 2026., with the latter likely getting the M5 Max and M5 Ultra.

Examining the timeline in more detail, 9to5Mac reports that these will appear in the middle of the year. That already sets these models up to launch slightly later than the models they replace, but with Mac Studio being fairly new, and Mac mini being less cyclical in its updates, I don't think there's too much to read into that.

The Mac mini made a significant change in design for 2024, having previously sat in a similar case since 2010. It's unlikely that there will be any design changes now that the Mac mini comes in a pretty compact format already.

Apple is expected to launch additional new MacBook models early in 2026, too. With the MacBook Pro launched already (albeit with straight M5 hardware, so expect an M5 Pro or Max version), the MacBook Air with M5 is expected some time in spring 2026.

What we haven't yet seen is the higher power M5 chips, so M5 Pro, M5 Max and M5 Ultra are likely to get announced, with updates for the MacBook Pro, the Mac Studio and Mac Pro in the line for more power.

For those considering the current range of devices, the M5 chip boasts greater AI computing powers, increased memory bandwidth and better graphics capabilities – but for those just eyeing-up the Mac mini M4 model (rather than the Pro), it could be that waiting until mid-2026 is just too long. And the Black Friday sales may offer some tempting discounts.

Elsewhere in the Mac range, rumours continue to swirl that Apple will return to offering a more affordable MacBook model. Once the darling of the range (before the introduction of the Air) the low-cost MacBook could find itself powered by Apple A hardware, found in iPhone models.

It looks like 2026 could be a busy year for Mac, with a full range of updates and options for buyers.