Apple's M6 comes to the MacBook Pro and iMac

The 14-inch MacBook Pro moves from M5 to M6 with a 12-core CPU, a 12-core GPU, and a Dual 16-core Neural Engine, two more CPU and GPU cores than before. Apple says the GPU delivers up to 30 percent faster graphics and up to 25 percent faster AI workloads than M5, and the Neural Engine delivers up to 1.9 times faster performance than M5. For the AI task buyers will actually feel, Apple lists up to 1.3 times faster time to first token when processing a large language model prompt, compared with the M5 MacBook Pro, and up to 13 times faster than the 13-inch MacBook Pro with M1.

The rest of the laptop is largely the machine it replaces: 16GB of unified memory standard, configurable to 32GB, memory bandwidth up to 170GB/s, Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6, and fast charging to 50 percent in 30 minutes with a higher-wattage USB-C adapter. Battery life is up to 24 hours, which Apple calls the longest ever in a Mac. It starts at $1,999.

The iMac gets the bigger jump, because it skipped a generation: this is its first update in two years, moving straight from M4 to M6, according to MacRumors. The M6 iMac offers up to a 12-core CPU and 12-core GPU, two more cores than before, with Neural Accelerators in each GPU core and the same Dual 16-core Neural Engine. Apple says it delivers up to five times faster on-device AI performance than the M4 iMac, up to two times faster graphics, and up to 1.5 times faster performance in Microsoft Excel. In LM Studio prompt processing, Apple lists up to 12 times faster than the M1 iMac and five times faster than M4.

“iMac is the world’s best all-in-one, and today it raises the bar yet again,” said Shelly Goldberg, Apple’s vice president of Hardware Engineering. The design, 24-inch 4.5K Retina display, and seven colors are unchanged. Two configurations start at $1,499 for the 10-core model with two Thunderbolt 4 ports and $1,699 for the 12-core model with four ports, both with 16GB of memory and 256GB of storage. Connectivity moves to Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6, storage is up to twice as fast, and 2.5 Gigabit Ethernet is available.

Neither machine is a redesign, and neither starting price moved from the outgoing configuration: $1,999 for the MacBook Pro and $1,499 for the base iMac. Both run macOS 27, which Apple says brings Siri AI and Apple Intelligence features across apps, including running large language models locally while keeping data on the device. M6 itself is not new to the Mac line: it debuted in the Mac mini in August, and these are the second and third Macs to get it.

Pre-orders open October 28 in 35 countries and regions, including the United States, and both machines arrive November 6, according to Apple and Reuters. Reuters also notes the launches come a day before Apple hosts a “Pro and tell” event in Los Angeles on October 28, which Bloomberg News has reported is expected to feature Apple’s first touchscreen MacBook Pro.

Buy this upgrade for what the chip does, not for a new machine. If you run local models, AI photo and video tools, or Apple Intelligence features every day, and you are coming from an M1 or Intel Mac, Apple’s own comparisons are large: up to 13 times faster AI performance than the M1 MacBook Pro, and up to 18 times faster performance than the most popular Intel-based iMac. Coming from an M5 MacBook Pro, the gain is incremental: 25 percent faster AI work and 1.3 times faster prompt processing. The iMac buyer gets the larger step because the desktop skipped M5 entirely.

Do not buy the 14-inch MacBook Pro expecting a touchscreen or a new design. That is the reported subject of tomorrow’s event, not today’s announcement. If a touchscreen Mac matters to you, wait a day. If you need a faster machine for on-device AI work at the same starting price, today’s M6 models are the straightforward buy.