New to this? Read it in simple words
- Apple has a new MacBook Pro laptop and a new iMac desktop with its M6 chip.
- The MacBook Pro starts at $1,999 and the iMac at $1,499.
- Both go on sale on November 6.
- Apple says they run AI faster, but nobody outside Apple has tested this yet.
- Neural Engine
- The part of Apple’s chip built to run AI tasks quickly and with little power.
- On-device AI
- AI that runs on your own computer or phone instead of on a company’s servers.
- Benchmark
- A standard test used to compare the speed of computers or AI models.
A day after its new iPad mini, Apple moved two more devices to its newest chip. The designs stay the same; the chip, the wireless parts and the AI pitch are new.
What is new
Apple lists a 12-core CPU and a 12-core GPU for the 14-inch MacBook Pro, two more cores each than before. It also has a Dual 16-core Neural Engine, the part of the chip built for AI. Memory starts at 16GB and goes up to 32GB.
The laptop starts at $1,999 in the US, or $1,899 with education savings. Both new Macs have Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6.
The iMac with a 10-core CPU and 10-core GPU starts at $1,499. The model with 12 cores of each starts at $1,699. It comes in seven colours. Orders open on October 28, and both Macs go on sale on November 6.
From Apple’s announcements of October 27, 2026. No outside test yet.
What Apple claims
Apple says the MacBook Pro’s graphics are up to 30% faster than with the M5, and AI work up to 25% faster. It says the Neural Engine is up to 1.9 times faster than the M5’s, and the battery lasts up to 24 hours, the longest ever in a Mac.
For the iMac, Apple compares with the older M4 chip. It says on-device AI is up to 5 times faster than with the M4.
Apple also calls the M6’s CPU core the world’s fastest. No independent review or benchmark of either Mac had been published by the evening of October 27.
Where the AI runs
Apple says the Neural Engine powers Apple Intelligence on the device, and that both Macs can run large language models locally. Memory limits that: with 32GB at most, only smaller local models can run, heise notes.
Not every AI feature stays on the Mac. Apple’s own small print says features that rely on server-side models have daily usage limits, including Siri AI.
The launches came a day before an Apple event in Los Angeles on October 28, Reuters reports.
Sources
Every fact in this story comes from the sources below. Open them to check our work.
- 1
- 2Primary source · October 27, 2026Apple unveils new iMac with M6, delivering a major boost in performance and AI capabilities Apple
- 3Research · October 27, 2026Apple launches M6 MacBook Pro and iMac, pitches faster on-device AI Reuters, via AOL
- 4
- 5
- 6
Prices, dates and core counts come from Apple’s announcements; every speed and battery figure is Apple’s own claim until a review tests it.
Apple puts its M6 chip in the MacBook Pro and iMac. Silicon AI News, October 28, 2026. https://siliconainews.com/stories/apple-m6-macbook-pro-imac
Apple’s new M6 Macs are a major launch built around on-device AI, though the speed claims are untested and memory limits local models. How we rate the mood
The mood shows how the news frames the event for the tech and AI world: as an opportunity (6 and above) or as a loss (below 5). It is not our verdict on who is right.