Apple Unveils M6 MacBook Pro and iMac

Apple unveiled new versions of the 14-inch MacBook Pro and the 24-inch iMac on Tuesday, both powered by its new M6 chip. The announcement came a day before the company's "Pro and tell" event in Los Angeles on Wednesday.

Neither machine gets a new design. The change is inside. Apple is pitching the M6 as a faster chip for work done on the device itself, including AI tasks, rather than a new look for either computer.

The MacBook Pro

The 14-inch MacBook Pro starts at $1,999. That is the same starting price as the previous M5 model. The base model comes with 16GB of unified memory and 1TB of storage as standard. Buyers can configure it with up to 32GB of memory and up to 4TB of storage. It comes in Space Black and Silver.

Apple said the M6 version delivers up to 30 percent faster graphics and up to 25 percent faster AI performance than the M5 model. It also claims up to 24 hours of battery life, which it calls the longest ever in a Mac. The laptop adds Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6, and a 12-megapixel Center Stage camera.

The M6 MacBook Pro is limited to the 14-inch model in this announcement. Apple did not announce a new larger MacBook Pro on Tuesday.

The iMac

The new iMac starts at $1,499, the same starting price as the previous model. The base version has a 10-core CPU and a 10-core GPU, 16GB of memory, 256GB of storage, and two Thunderbolt 4 ports. A $1,699 version moves to a 12-core CPU and 12-core GPU and adds two more ports, for four in total. Memory tops out at 32GB and storage at 2TB.

The iMac keeps its 24-inch 4.5K Retina display and its 12-megapixel Center Stage camera. The seven colors carry over unchanged: blue, green, pink, yellow, purple, orange, and silver. It is the first iMac update since the M4 model in 2024.

Apple said the new iMac delivers up to five times faster on-device AI performance than the M4 iMac. It also adds Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6 through Apple's N1 chip, and Apple said its storage is up to twice as fast as the previous model's. Those figures are Apple's own claims, not independent test results.

When they go on sale

Pre-orders for both machines open Wednesday, October 28. Apple said the MacBook Pro will be available in 35 countries and regions. Both computers go on sale Friday, November 6.

The M6 chip was first introduced in the Mac mini in August. Tuesday's announcement brings it to two more Macs, but leaves the bigger question for Wednesday. Bloomberg News has reported that the Los Angeles event is expected to feature Apple's first touchscreen MacBook Pro. Apple has not confirmed that, and Tuesday's announcement did not mention a touchscreen model.

For buyers, the practical point is simple. The new machines cost the same at the base level as the ones they replace, and they look the same. The upgrade is speed, battery life on the laptop, and faster wireless and storage. Anyone with a recent M5 MacBook Pro or M4 iMac will see a smaller jump than someone coming from an older machine.