In his latest Power On newsletter, Bloomberg News’ Mark Gurman highlights two notable Apple developments: a new AI tool being tested in retail stores and previously undisclosed plans for the now-defunct Mac Pro.

AI Recording and Transcription for Genius Bar Appointments

Apple is piloting an AI-powered system called Live Notes at select retail stores. The tool allows Genius Bar employees to record conversations with customers using an iPad. AI then transcribes and summarizes the discussion, automatically adding it to the employee’s notes and the official repair session record.

Key details of the pilot include:

• Opt-in only — Both the employee and customer must agree before recording begins.

• Goal — Reduce manual note-taking so staff can focus more on customer service and problem-solving rather than typing during appointments.

• Integration — Transcripts feed directly into Apple’s internal Genius Bar system for better documentation and follow-up.

This initiative reflects Apple’s broader push to integrate AI across its ecosystem, including retail operations, to improve efficiency while maintaining a personal touch in customer interactions. Privacy safeguards via the opt-in requirement appear designed to address potential concerns.

Apple Once had Bigger Plans for the Mac Pro

Apple discontinued the Mac Pro earlier in 2026, but new reporting reveals the company once had far more ambitious plans for the high-end desktop. Gurman notes that Apple developed — but ultimately shelved — “M2 Extreme” and “M3 Extreme” chip variants specifically intended for the Mac Pro.

These ultra-powerful chips were part of an effort to deliver even greater performance for professional users who rely on the modular, expandable workstation. The decision not to release them contributed to the product’s eventual discontinuation, as Apple shifted focus amid changing market demands and the rise of more portable high-performance options like Mac Studio and MacBook Pro configurations.

The revelations underscore the evolving nature of Apple’s Mac lineup, where even flagship products like the Mac Pro face tough strategic trade-offs in an AI-driven computing era.

MacDailyNews Take: Not everything makes it to market. Conditions change. As always, retail and pro desktop innovations continue to shape the company’s customer and professional user experiences.

In the end, Mac Pro was a waste of aluminum. – MacDailyNews, March 30, 2026

For the vast majority of professional users (video editors, photographers, 3D artists, developers, and those running AI/ML workloads) the Mac Studio is the superior choice overall. It delivers an excellent balance of performance, price, compact size, and modern features. The Mac Studio covers 90% (or more) of what the Mac Pro once offered, but at a fraction of the cost and with newer silicon, and the promise of regular updates. The discontinued Mac Pro was only preferable, or truly necessary, in the rare cases that demand heavy internal PCIe expansion that cannot be adequately handled externally via Thunderbolt; a very niche market. – MacDailyNews, March 27, 2026

Apple’s Mac Pro is a dead end. Mac Studio is the high-end Mac future now. Bring on the M5 Ultra Mac Studio and rename it “Mac Pro.” – MacDailyNews, November 17, 2025

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According to Bloomberg News‘ Mark Gurman in his most recent Power On newsletter, Apple is making one of the biggest changes yet to its Apple Silicon roadmap for Macs. The company is prioritizing on-device AI performance and graphics capabilities over its traditional generational cadence, leading to a skipped generation of high-end chips and a faster push toward the M7 family.

Apple’s New Chip Roadmap: M6 (Base Only), Then Straight to M7

Apple plans to release a base M6 chip as early as late 2026 for entry-level Macs. This includes testing in a refreshed 14-inch MacBook Pro (internally codenamed J804). Key improvements expected in the M6 include:

• Memory bandwidth rising to around 200 GB/s (up from 153 GB/s on the M5)

• Enhanced GPU performance with up to 12 cores

• A stronger neural engine for better AI workloads

In a notable departure from past strategy, Apple will skip M6 Pro, M6 Max, and M6 Ultra variants entirely. This marks the first time the company has bypassed higher-end versions of a new chip generation.

Instead, Apple is fast-tracking the M7 series to deliver major advancements in on-device AI processing and graphics performance sooner. According to Gurman’s reporting:

• Base M7 — Expected in the first half of 2027

• M7 Pro and M7 Max — Targeted for late 2027

• M7 Ultra — Slated for 2028 (with support for up to 1.5 TB of memory in high-end configurations)

The M7 lineup (with codenames like Delos for the base and Andros for the higher variants) represents Apple’s effort to meet surging demand for AI features and more graphics-intensive software by accelerating technologies originally planned for later generations.

Gurman also notes that M8 chips are already in active development, with high-end variants expected around 2028 on an advanced manufacturing process.

First-Ever Touch MacBook Pro Coming Soon

Gurman’s newsletter also covers Apple’s long-rumored touchscreen MacBook Pro models (14-inch and 16-inch, codenamed K114 and K116). These represent the biggest hardware overhaul of the high-end MacBook Pro lineup since the transition away from Intel chips.

Key details:

• Expected launch window: Late 2026 or early 2027

• Initial models will use current-generation M5 Pro and M5 Max chips (aligning with the decision to skip high-end M6 variants)

• First MacBooks to feature OLED displays

• Adoption of an iPhone-style Dynamic Island interface (with a hole-punch camera cutout replacing the current notch)

• Touch support designed as a “bonus” feature rather than a primary input method — macOS updates will allow seamless switching between touch and traditional trackpad/keyboard use, with adaptive UI elements

Later follow-up models are expected to transition to the new M7 chips once available. The redesigned laptops are also described as potentially thinner and lighter, with reinforced components to handle touch input without screen bounce.

Why the Change? AI Is Reshaping Apple’s Priorities

Gurman explains that this unusual strategy shift allows Apple to focus engineering resources on the more significant architectural leap in the M7 generation. By skipping incremental high-end M6 chips, the company can deliver stronger on-device AI capabilities and graphics performance to its most powerful Macs faster.

This aligns with broader industry trends and Apple’s ongoing push into AI across its ecosystem (including new Apple Pencil models also mentioned in the newsletter).
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MacDailyNews Take: M6, we hardly knew ya!

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The long-awaited M5 Pro and M5 Max MacBook Pros have finally arrived, taking Apple Silicon ‘Books to a whole new level. Each takes the already successful aluminum unibody from prior generations, ups the speed a bit, increases core count, as well as doing a bit of a name change for the types of CPU cores. […]

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