Apple M6 MacBook Pro 14 and iMac: prices, specs, release date

Apple has moved its entry 14-inch MacBook Pro and the 24-inch iMac to the new M6 chip, a day before its "Pro and Tell" event in Los Angeles. Both machines can be preordered from 28 October and arrive from 6 November, according to Apple's newsroom. Bloomberg notes that Apple did not raise prices.

14-inch MacBook Pro with M6

The M6 in the MacBook Pro has a 12-core CPU and a 12-core GPU. Apple claims the GPU is up to 30% faster in graphics and up to 25% faster in AI workloads than M5, and that the CPU has "the world's fastest CPU core". As usual, these are Apple's own figures; independent tests will show how they hold up.

The AI pitch rests on Neural Accelerators built into the GPU plus what Apple calls a Dual 16-core Neural Engine. Apple says that makes the laptop a better machine for Apple Intelligence and Siri AI features and for running large language models locally. If you are new to the idea, our explainer on what an NPU is covers why these dedicated AI blocks matter.

Other key points:

• Memory: 16 GB of unified memory as standard, up to 32 GB, with memory bandwidth of up to 170 GB/s (up from 153 GB/s on M5), TechCrunch reports.
• Battery: up to 24 hours, Apple's longest-ever figure for a Mac, and up to 50% charge in 30 minutes with a compatible high-wattage USB-C adapter.
• Wireless: Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6. Our Wi-Fi 7 explainer covers what you need on the router side to benefit.
• Display and ports: Liquid Retina XDR display with an optional nano-texture finish, a 12 MP Center Stage camera, six speakers, three Thunderbolt 4 ports, HDMI, MagSafe 3, an SDXC slot and a headphone jack.
• Colours and price: space black or silver, from $1,999 ($1,899 with education pricing).

iMac with M6

The iMac keeps its thin design, 24-inch 4.5K Retina display and seven colours: blue, green, pink, yellow, purple, orange and silver. Apple says M6 makes it up to 5x faster in on-device AI than the M4 iMac, and up to 18x faster overall than the most popular Intel-based iMac.

It also gains Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6, optional 2.5 Gigabit Ethernet and storage that Apple says is up to twice as fast. There are two models:

• 10-core CPU and 10-core GPU with two ports, from $1,499 ($1,449 for education).
• 12-core CPU and 12-core GPU with four Thunderbolt 4 ports, from $1,699 ($1,599 for education).

According to MacRumors, both configurations start with 16 GB of memory and 256 GB of storage.

Release date and what to watch

Preorders open on 28 October at 10:10 a.m. Pacific time on apple.com and in the Apple Store app in 35 countries and regions, including the US. Deliveries and in-store availability start on Friday, 6 November.

The timing is deliberate. Apple's Pro and Tell event on 28 October is expected to bring more Macs, and Bloomberg has reported that a touchscreen OLED MacBook Pro could be among them. If you want a higher-end MacBook Pro, it may be worth waiting a day before ordering. If you mainly want to run AI models locally, our laptop for local AI guide explains why memory matters more than the chip name, and how much RAM you need helps you choose between 16 and 32 GB.