Apple's laptops aren't taking a backseat to its tablets this year. Apple introduced its latest M5 processor on Wednesday with updates to both its MacBook Pro and iPad Pro. Last year, the iPad Pro was the first Apple device to get the M4 update, and it was months before the MacBook Pro followed suit with an M4 update of its own.
With today's announcements, both laptop and tablet shoppers can get their hands on Apple's latest silicon. If you've been eyeing a MacBook Air or higher-end MacBook Pro, however, you'll still need to wait. The only MacBook to receive the M5 chip is the baseline, 14-inch Pro.
M5 MacBook Pro arrives
The M5 MacBook Pro starts at the same price as the previous-generation model. It costs $1,599 and features the M5 chip, 16GB of RAM and a 512GB SSD. There's no change to the design, and the display also remains the same: a 14.2-inch mini-LED Liquid Retina XDR display with a 3,024x1,964-pixel resolution.
The M5 processor features 10 CPU cores and 10 GPU cores, which is the same as the M4. But the GPU now has a Neural Accelerator in each core, which Apple claims amounts to up to 3.5X faster AI performance than the M4 chip, and up to 6X faster performance than the M1.
Other speed claims for the M5 compared to the M4:
Up to 1.6X faster graphics performance in pro apps and up to 1.6x higher frame rates in games
20-percent faster multithreaded performance
Up to 1.8X faster AI video-enhancing performance in Topaz Video
Up to 1.7X faster 3D rendering in Blender
Up to 1.6X higher frame rates in games
Up to 1.2X faster build performance when compiling code in Xcode
Storage is also faster and available in a greater quantity. Apple says the M5 MacBook Pro offers twice the SSD performance as the previous version. And you can choose up to 4TB of storage, twice the previous maximum.
Apple didn't make any greater battery life claims with the M5 MacBook Pro, but it was already excellent with the M4 model -- up to 24 hours of battery life is more than enough for most people.
You can pre-order the M5 MacBook today, and it will start shipping in a week, on Wednesday, October 22.
M5 Pro and Max chips are no shows
With today's M5 news, the MacBook Pro line is in the awkward position of the baseline model having newer silicon than the higher-end MacBook Pro. In the 14-inch series, the $1,999 model is still based on the M4 Pro chip with 12 CPU cores and 16 CPU cores. And all 16-inch MacBook Pro models feature either an M4 Pro or M4 Max chip.
Looking at the other end of the MacBook line, current MacBook Air models remain on the M4 platform. It will likely be next year before we see an M5 MacBook Air or the rumored $599 Air based on Apple's A18 processor.
Wondering which MacBook you should buy? Check out my MacBook Air vs. MacBook Pro comparison.
Minor M5 reform
With no design changes or price drop, today's MacBook Pro news amounts to a minor update. A more substantial update could arrive at the end of next year with the M6 chip where we might see the rumored touchscreen OLED display along with a new look and thinner chassis.