Apple's Two New M6 Macs Offer Improved Performance for Less

On October 27, as part of its "Pro and Tell" event, Apple unveiled two new additions to the Mac lineup: the MacBook Pro with M6 and the iMac with M6. These new Macs are faster and more powerful than the previous models and the MacBook boasts a new 24-hour battery. While they don't come with a touchscreen like the new MacBook PROLED XDR, these new Macs still have a lot to offer.

Availability & Pricing

Availability

Pre-Order October 28
Available November 6

Pricing

MacBook Pro 14-inch starts at $1999
MacBook Pro 16-inch starts $2999
iMac starts at $1499

What's New with the Mac?

an image of seven imacs lines up in different colors; from left to right: green, yellow, orange, pink, purple, blue, and silver

Both the new iMac and MacBook come equipped with the M6 chip, which offers some of the best performance you can find in a Mac. It's perfect for AI processes, such as running local large language models to preserve privacy while working with AI. Both of these devices are great options, whether you're looking for a general purpose computer for browsing the web or you're a professional that needs to run more demanding workloads, such as video or photo editing, app development, or 3D modeling.

The M6 MacBook Pro also has improved battery life, with Apple claiming that it can last up to 24 hours. Of course, that likely depends on the type of workloads you subject your MacBook to, but we'll have to wait until after release for real world battery usage. Still, even if the batter doesn't last a full 24 hours, it's still the ideal device for portability.

Is It Worth Upgrading?

an image of a man and a woman outdoors. the man is sitting at a makeshift desk using a macbook pro

The naming of the M6 chip is slightly misleading, as it is still outperformed by the M5 Pro and M5 Max. If you have an older MacBook, such as the M1 or M2 MacBook, this could be the upgrade you've been waiting for. If you don't need the extra performance provided by the M5 Pro or M5 Max, the M6 MacBook comes at a more affordable price but will still run significantly better than previous generations.

The same can be said of the M6 iMac. If you have an older model like the M1 or M2, the M6 offers improved performance at a lower price than the Mac mini and Mac Studio, which both offer better chips, including the M5 Pro and M5 Max. However, as with the MacBook, if you don't need that extra processing power, the M6 is a fine option.