Apple has officially announced its updated 14-inch MacBook Pro alongside a refreshed 24-inch iMac, both powered by the company's next-generation M6 silicon. The hardware updates bring improvements in graphics capability, on-device artificial intelligence processing, and overall battery efficiency across Apple's lineup.
The announcement comes right before Apple's scheduled "Pro and Tell" event, continuing a week of hardware reveals that previously included a redesigned iPad mini. Both new computers are scheduled to go on preorder on October 28, with full retail availability starting on November 6.
M6 chip brings faster AI and improved graphics
At the heart of both new devices is Apple's M6 system-on-chip. According to Apple's announcement, the M6 features a 12-core CPU that the company claims houses the world's fastest CPU core, paired with a 12-core GPU.
Apple reports that the M6 chip delivers:
- Up to 30 percent faster graphics performance than the previous M5 chip.
- Up to 25 percent faster performance on AI workloads compared to the M5.
- Up to 1.3 times faster overall performance than M5 models.
- Up to 13 times faster Large Language Model (LLM) prompt-processing speeds when compared to older M1 MacBook Pro laptops.
Unified memory on the base M6 MacBook Pro starts at 16GB, with options to configure up to 32GB. Memory bandwidth has increased to 170GB/s, up from 153GB/s on the M5 generation.
14-inch MacBook Pro specifications and pricing
The updated 14-inch MacBook Pro starts at $1,999 and is offered in space black and silver finishes. Apple states that the device offers up to 24 hours of battery life on a single charge. It also introduces support for modern wireless standards, including Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6.
Key hardware features include:
- A 12-megapixel built-in camera.
- Fast charging support, reaching up to 50 percent capacity in 30 minutes when paired with a compatible high-wattage USB-C adapter.
- Connectivity options consisting of three Thunderbolt 4 ports, an HDMI port, a MagSafe 3 charging port, an SDXC card slot, and a standard headphone jack.
The new 24-inch iMac with M6 silicon
Alongside the laptop reveal, Apple introduced a refreshed 24-inch iMac, also powered by the M6 chip. Detailed in Apple's iMac release, the desktop computer incorporates Neural Accelerators built directly into every chip core to accelerate localized machine learning tasks.
Apple states that the new iMac offers up to five times faster on-device AI performance compared to M4-era models, making it far more capable at tasks like automated photo editing, video rendering, and multi-app multitasking.
The M6 iMac features:
- A 24-inch 4.5K Retina display.
- Up to four Thunderbolt 4 ports.
- An updated camera and audio system.
- Color-matched accessories and pre-installed macOS 27.
- Seven color finishes: blue, green, pink, yellow, purple, orange, and silver.
Pricing for the new iMac starts at $1,499.
Launch timeline and availability
Customers interested in the new hardware can place preorders starting October 28. Official retail availability and shipping begin on November 6.
With these product rollouts happening ahead of the "Pro and Tell" presentation, Apple appears to be establishing its baseline M6 performance metrics before potentially introducing higher-tier chip variants or additional desktop systems.
Filed under: TechNews, ProductLaunches, Gadgets, AI, Apple, MacBookPro, Hardware