Apple Announces the M6 14-Inch MacBook Pro and iMac. Pre-Orders Open October 28
Apple put its new M6 chip in the 14-inch MacBook Pro ($1,999) and the 24-inch iMac ($1,499). Same designs, faster chips, and a rumored touchscreen MacBook Pro could be right behind them.
Apple is in the middle of a whole week of launches. Monday was the new OLED iPad mini. This morning, Apple announced two new Macs: a 14-inch MacBook Pro with M6 and a 24-inch iMac with M6. Both can be pre-ordered starting tomorrow, October 28, and both arrive Friday, November 6.
Here’s the funny part: these might not even be the Macs people are most excited about this week. More on that below.
The 14-inch MacBook Pro with M6
According to Apple’s announcement, the M6 chip brings:
- A 12-core CPU and 12-core GPU, two more cores of each than the M5 version.
- Up to 30% faster graphics and up to 25% faster AI workloads compared to M5 (Apple’s numbers).
- A Dual 16-core Neural Engine and memory bandwidth up to 170GB/s.
- Up to 24 hours of battery life, which Apple calls the longest ever in a Mac.
- Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6, thanks to Apple’s N1 wireless chip.
It starts at $1,999, with 16GB of memory and, per Engadget, a 1TB drive. It comes in space black and silver. One thing to know: the 16-inch MacBook Pro did not get M6. It still uses the M5 Pro or M5 Max.
The iMac with M6
The new iMac keeps the same thin 24-inch 4.5K design and seven colors, but gets M6 with up to a 12-core CPU and GPU. Apple claims up to 2x faster graphics and up to 5x faster on-device AI prompt processing than the M4 iMac. It also adds Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6 and available 2.5 Gigabit Ethernet.
Pricing starts at $1,499 for the 10-core model, which 9to5Mac notes is the same starting price as before. The 12-core version starts at $1,699.
Why it matters (and why you might wait a day)
Design-wise, both of these are spec bumps. 9to5Mac’s breakdown says the M6 chip and the N1 wireless chip are basically the whole list of changes for the MacBook Pro.
The bigger buzz is about what’s reportedly coming next. 9to5Mac reports that a redesigned MacBook Pro is expected to be unveiled as soon as Wednesday, and reports say it could add an OLED touchscreen. Apple hasn’t announced that one, so treat it as a rumor until it’s official. Pre-orders for these M6 models open tomorrow just minutes after that expected reveal, so if you’re shopping, there’s no harm in waiting to see what Apple shows.
Performance claims above are Apple’s own; independent reviews will tell us how they hold up.
So would you grab an M6 Mac now, or hold out to see if Apple finally puts a touchscreen on a MacBook?
Sources: Apple Newsroom (MacBook Pro), Apple Newsroom (iMac), Engadget, 9to5Mac. Images: Apple press images.
