On October 27, Apple announced two Macs powered by the new M6 chip in one go: a 24-inch iMac in seven colors, and a 14-inch MacBook Pro that Apple says can last up to 24 hours on a charge. If you are still on an M1 or Intel Mac, this looks like a good moment to start thinking about an upgrade. According to Apple's official announcements, pre-orders open on October 28 in the US (October 29 in Taiwan), and sales start on Friday, November 6. You can read the originals in the iMac press release and the 14-inch MacBook Pro press release.
One thing up front. Every spec and performance number in this article comes from Apple's own announcements. I have not tested either machine, and there are no independent reviews yet. So I will lay out what Apple says, add my own take, and help you decide who each machine suits and whether pre-ordering makes sense. I will also touch on NVIDIA's RTX Spark, since it is the Arm chip people keep putting next to M6.
What Makes the M6 Chip Special?
M6 is Apple's newest in-house chip, putting the CPU, GPU and Neural Engine on one piece of silicon, and it powers both the new iMac and the 14-inch MacBook Pro. According to Apple, the M6 in the MacBook Pro has a 12-core CPU and a 12-core GPU, and each is two cores bigger than last generation. Every GPU core now has its own neural accelerator, and there is a dual 16-core Neural Engine and up to 170GB/s of memory bandwidth. The goal is clear: run AI directly on your own computer.
Against its own predecessors, Apple says the M6 MacBook Pro is up to 30% faster than M5 in graphics and up to 25% faster in AI tasks, while the iMac is up to 4x faster at on-device AI than the M4 model. Apple also loves comparing against M1 and Intel Macs, with up to 11.7x faster graphics for the MacBook Pro versus M1 and up to 18x faster performance for the iMac versus Intel models. Those numbers look great, but how much they matter depends on what you use now. If you already own an M5 Mac, this is a solid yearly step rather than a must-buy.
Who Is the New iMac For?
The M6 iMac is a 24-inch all-in-one desktop in seven colors, aimed at families, small businesses and new creators. Apple's own examples are down to earth: a family planning a trip, a student finishing a school project, and a small shop owner managing customers in Bigin by Zoho and tracking stock in Excel. The picture I have in mind is someone running a small craft shop, who answers messages and checks inventory during the day and edits a product video at night. That do-a-bit-of-everything person is exactly who this machine is built for.
The display is a 24-inch 4.5K Retina panel at 500 nits, with a 12MP Center Stage camera and Desk View, which shares an overhead view of your desk and is handy for teaching or showing off work. Audio comes from two pairs of force-cancelling woofers and two tweeters, with Spatial Audio and Dolby Atmos support. Connectivity moves up to Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6, SSD speeds are up to 2x faster, and you can connect up to two 6K external displays.
In the US, the 10-core CPU and 10-core GPU model starts at $1,499 ($1,449 with education savings), and the 12-core CPU and 12-core GPU model starts at $1,699 ($1,599 with education savings), a $200 gap. According to Apple's footnotes, only the 12-core model gets all four USB-C ports with Thunderbolt 4, an optional 2.5 Gigabit Ethernet upgrade and a nano-texture display option, and it also includes the Magic Keyboard with Touch ID as standard, while the 10-core model offers it as an option. Judging from the spec sheet alone, if your budget has room, I would lean toward paying the extra $200, because those differences will be felt more than a benchmark gap.
One caveat: Apple's release does not state the standard memory and storage of the new iMac. The 32GB of memory and 2TB of storage in the footnotes describe the M4 iMac used as the comparison machine, not the new model's default. Memory size directly affects how large an AI model you can run later, so do not guess. Check the specs page on Apple's site before you order.
What Is New in the 14-Inch MacBook Pro?
The M6 14-inch MacBook Pro is Apple's pro laptop for students, business users and creators, and its biggest selling point this time is up to 24 hours of battery life, the longest ever in a Mac. Apple also stresses that performance stays the same whether you are plugged in or on battery. If you bounce between classrooms, cafes and client offices, leaving the charger at home matters more than a few extra percent of speed.
On specs, it comes with 16GB of unified memory as standard and up to 32GB as an option. The Liquid Retina XDR display reaches 1,600 nits of peak HDR brightness, and there is a nano-texture glass option. The ports have not been cut: HDMI, MagSafe 3, three Thunderbolt 4 ports, an SDXC card slot and a headphone jack are all there, along with Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6 and support for up to two external displays. If you often read camera cards or plug into projectors on the road, that saves a lot of adapters.
Apple's examples cover students, developers and visual creators. For developers, Xcode build performance is up to 1.3x faster than on the M5 model, Blender ray-traced rendering is up to 1.3x faster and Affinity image processing is up to 1.2x faster. Those “1.2x to 1.3x faster than M5” numbers do not sound dramatic, but for someone who compiles many times a day, the saved time adds up.
In the US it starts at $1,999 with 1TB of storage, in space black or silver. Apple says people upgrading from an Intel Mac get up to 14 more hours of battery life, and from M1 up to 4 more hours, plus 16GB of memory as standard and one more Thunderbolt port. My view is that this is the most convincing upgrade for people still on an M1 laptop, while someone who just bought an M5 can safely wait.
How Do the iMac and 14-Inch MacBook Pro Differ?
The iMac and the 14-inch MacBook Pro use the same M6 generation of chip, and they differ mainly in screen size, portability, price and port layout. The chip is shared but the two machines are positioned very differently, so the table below puts the differences side by side. Prices are US starting prices; the US MacBook Pro price comes from press coverage of Apple's announcement, so confirm it on Apple's site.
| Item | iMac (M6) | 14-inch MacBook Pro (M6) | What differs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Form factor | 24-inch all-in-one desktop | 14-inch laptop | Fixed on a desk, or carried with you |
| CPU and GPU | 10-core/10-core, or 12-core/12-core | 12-core CPU, 12-core GPU | The iMac comes in an entry and a higher configuration |
| Neural Engine | Dual 16-core | Dual 16-core | Identical |
| Memory | Standard amount not stated in the release | 16GB standard, up to 32GB | Check the iMac specs page |
| Display | 24-inch 4.5K Retina, 500 nits, nano-texture option on 12-core model | Liquid Retina XDR, 1,600 nits peak HDR, nano-texture glass option | The iMac screen is bigger, the MacBook Pro has the stronger HDR spec |
| Battery life | Not applicable (desktop, plugged in) | Up to 24 hours | Only the MacBook Pro can work away from an outlet |
| Ports | Up to four Thunderbolt 4 (all four on the 12-core model) | HDMI, MagSafe 3, three Thunderbolt 4, SDXC, headphone jack | The MacBook Pro has more kinds of ports |
| External displays | Up to two 6K | Up to two external displays | Apple states 6K for the iMac, and the MacBook Pro release gives no resolution |
| Networking | Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6, optional 2.5 Gigabit Ethernet on 12-core model | Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6 | The iMac adds a wired option |
| Colors | Blue, green, pink, yellow, purple, orange, silver | Space black, silver | The iMac offers far more choice |
| US starting price | $1,499 (10-core), $1,699 (12-core) | $1,999 | The entry iMac is $500 cheaper |
| US education price | $1,449 (10-core), $1,599 (12-core) | Check Apple's education store | Only the iMac education prices appear in Apple's US release |
| Pre-order and on sale | October 28 pre-order, November 6 on sale | October 28 pre-order, November 6 on sale | Same schedule |
Put simply, if your computer lives on a desk or in a shop, the iMac's big screen, seven colors and $1,499 starting price look like the better deal. If you need to carry it, or you often edit video or write code away from your desk, the MacBook Pro's 24-hour battery and XDR display are the point. The two start $500 apart, but the iMac already includes the screen, camera and speakers, so the extra money on the MacBook Pro buys you mobility.
How Does M6 Compare With RTX Spark?
RTX Spark is an Arm-based chip made by NVIDIA with MediaTek, and Windows laptops built on it were announced as available on October 16, making it the PC-side chip most often set against M6. According to NVIDIA's announcement, RTX Spark pairs a 20-core Grace CPU with a Blackwell RTX GPU with 6,144 CUDA cores, up to 128GB of memory and up to 1 petaflop of AI performance (FP4), and you can see the details on the NVIDIA RTX Spark page. Apple has not published the same AI figure, and neither company has run a like-for-like test, so I will not call a winner. Treat it as a choose-by-need question, and use the table below for a quick comparison.
| What you need | Better fit | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Battery life and a thin, portable machine | M6 MacBook Pro | Apple quotes up to 24 hours, while RTX Spark is officially described only as all-day battery |
| macOS and iPhone integration | M6 Mac | Continuity and iPhone Mirroring are Mac strengths |
| Lots of memory for large AI models | RTX Spark | Up to 128GB, against a 32GB maximum on the M6 MacBook Pro |
| CUDA or NVIDIA developer tools | RTX Spark | Native CUDA support |
| Mostly PC gaming | RTX Spark | DLSS and the RTX game ecosystem, though Windows on Arm compatibility is still something to watch |
What Do macOS 27 and Apple Intelligence Add?
macOS 27 Golden Gate is the Mac operating system that ships with these machines, built around a new generation of Apple Intelligence and a Liquid Glass look you can tune yourself. Apple's examples include Safari automatically organizing tabs by topic, alerting you when a product is back in stock or its price drops, and Shortcuts building automations from a plain description. For people who keep a dozen tabs open while comparing prices, the automatic tab organizing is probably the first feature they will use.
Language support is worth checking, though. Apple's footnotes say Apple Intelligence works when Siri and the device language are set to one of 16 supported languages, including English, French, German, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese and Spanish. Siri AI is a beta in macOS 27.2 for English, French, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese and Spanish, and some server-based features have daily usage limits. The footnote also says Siri AI is currently unavailable in the EU on iOS, iPadOS and watchOS, so if you are in Europe, check Apple's latest notes before counting on every AI feature.
How Do You Pre-Order, and When Does It Arrive?
The M6 iMac and 14-inch MacBook Pro open for pre-order on October 28 in the US and go on sale starting Friday, November 6. Apple's US release says iMac pre-orders are open in 35 countries and regions including the US, through Apple's online store and the Apple Store app, with the machines also arriving at Apple Store locations and authorized resellers. Apple's Taiwan release, by comparison, lists 28 countries and regions for the iMac and 35 for the MacBook Pro, so check your own country's Apple site for the exact status. If you have an old computer, Apple Trade In can show what it is worth, and students and educators can get education pricing.
Apple says orders will arrive from November 6, which does not guarantee that every configuration lands on that exact day, so go by the estimated delivery date shown at checkout. If you plan to carry your MacBook Pro everywhere, it is also worth considering AppleCare+, which covers accidental damage such as drops and spills, battery replacement service and priority support. In supported regions, people buying direct from Apple can also book a Personal Setup session, which is useful if this is your first Mac.
What Are the Most Common Questions About the M6 Macs?
Common questions about the M6 Macs are the ones readers ask most before buying, covering model differences, regional availability and whether an upgrade is worth it.
Are the M6 chips in the iMac and the 14-inch MacBook Pro the same?
Both use the M6 family, and Apple mentions the dual 16-core Neural Engine and up to 170GB/s of memory bandwidth for both machines. The configurations differ: the 14-inch MacBook Pro has a 12-core CPU and 12-core GPU, while the iMac comes in a 10-core plus 10-core version and a 12-core plus 12-core version.
When can I pre-order, and when will it arrive?
Pre-orders open on October 28 in the US (October 29 in Taiwan time), and sales start on Friday, November 6, at Apple Store locations and authorized resellers. Apple says orders arrive starting that day, so rely on the delivery estimate at checkout for your exact date.
Which countries can buy them?
Apple's US release says iMac pre-orders open in 35 countries and regions including the US, and Apple's Taiwan release gives 35 for the MacBook Pro and 28 for the iMac. Apple does not list the countries in these releases, so check the store page for your own country.
Should I upgrade from an M1 or Intel Mac?
By Apple's numbers, the 14-inch MacBook Pro is up to 11.7x faster in graphics and up to 13x faster in AI than an M1 model, and Intel upgraders get up to 14 more hours of battery life, while the iMac is up to 18x faster than Intel models. These are Apple's own tests, but the gap is large enough that M1 and Intel owners will feel it. If you already have an M5, Apple's comparison is up to 30% faster graphics, so there is less urgency.
Which iMac should I choose, 10-core or 12-core?
They are $200 apart in the US. Only the 12-core model has Thunderbolt 4 on all four USB-C ports, an optional 2.5 Gigabit Ethernet upgrade, a nano-texture display option and Touch ID as standard, and Apple's footnotes list none of these as available on the 10-core model. For browsing, office work and video, the 10-core model should be enough, and if you edit video often or connect many accessories, consider the 12-core.
Can the M6 run AI locally, and how does it compare with RTX Spark?
Apple says the M6 Neural Engine and GPU can run large language models on the device while keeping your data private. However, the 14-inch MacBook Pro tops out at 32GB of memory while RTX Spark goes up to 128GB, and there are no like-for-like tests yet, so it is too early to say which is stronger. Wait for independent reviews and choose by your operating system and the way you work.
Are the New M6 Macs Worth Buying?
The simplest way to decide on an M6 Mac is to look at which generation of Mac you use today. If you are still on an Intel or M1 Mac, the performance, battery and port upgrades are big and worth serious thought. If you already have an M5 MacBook Pro or an M4 iMac, Apple's numbers come from its own testing, so I would wait for independent results before deciding to switch.
Apple has put local AI, faster connectivity and longer battery life at the center of both machines, and NVIDIA's RTX Spark has stirred up the AI PC race at the same time. For most people, the real question is not whose number is bigger but which machine fits comfortably into your daily life. Until independent testing arrives, choosing by how you will actually use the machine is more reliable than choosing by benchmark numbers.