Apple Announces M6 iMac With Wi-Fi 7, Faster Storage Starting at $1,499

Apple has introduced an M6-powered iMac with faster graphics and on-device AI processing, Wi-Fi 7, and an optional 2.5 Gigabit Ethernet connection. The all-in-one keeps its 24-inch 4.5K Retina display and seven-color design, with U.S. pricing starting at $1,499.

Pre-orders begin tomorrow, October 28, in 35 countries and regions, including the U.S. Deliveries and availability at Apple Stores and authorized resellers start Friday, November 6.

M6 Configurations and Performance

The base model has a 10-core CPU and 10-core GPU. A configuration with a 12-core CPU and 12-core GPU starts at $1,699, with two additional cores in each compared with the previous generation's higher-end chip. Both configurations are offered with education savings: $1,449 for the base model and $1,599 for the 12-core version.

M6 adds Neural Accelerators in each GPU core and a Dual 16-core Neural Engine, with memory bandwidth reaching up to 170GB/s. Apple claims up to twice the graphics performance of M4 and up to twice the AI compute from the Neural Engine compared with the previous generation.

Specific application tests show larger gains. Apple reports up to five times faster LM Studio prompt processing than on the M4 iMac and up to 12 times faster than M1. Excel performance is up to 1.5 times faster than M4 and 2.5 times faster than M1, while Affinity photo editing is up to twice as fast as M4 and 3.3 times faster than M1. Gaming with ray tracing is up to twice as fast as M4. These are Apple's benchmark results, rather than across-the-board speed increases.

Wireless, Ethernet, and External Displays

Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6 are included, while the 2.5 Gigabit Ethernet option is restricted to the 12-core CPU and GPU model. Apple also claims SSD read and write speeds up to twice those of the previous M4 iMac.

The higher-end configuration has four USB-C ports that all support Thunderbolt 4. Apple says the new iMac can drive up to two external 6K displays; the release does not detail that capability for each configuration.

Display, Camera, and Colors

The 4.5K Retina display offers 500 nits of brightness, P3 wide color, and support for more than a billion colors. Its actual diagonal measurement is 23.5 inches. Nano-texture glass is optional on the 12-core CPU and GPU model.

A 12MP Center Stage camera keeps users framed during calls, and Desk View provides a top-down view of the workspace. The audio system combines two pairs of force-cancelling woofers with two tweeters, supports Spatial Audio with Dolby Atmos, and is accompanied by a three-microphone array.

The finishes are blue, green, pink, yellow, purple, orange, and silver. Color-matched keyboard, mouse, and trackpad accessories use USB-C for charging. Touch ID is standard on the 12-core model's keyboard; buyers of the 10-core model can configure a Magic Keyboard with Touch ID and Numeric Keypad.

macOS 27 and Siri AI

The desktop runs macOS 27 Golden Gate, with Siri AI built into Spotlight and available for questions about onscreen content through Visual Intelligence. It can use personal context from messages, email, and photos, take action across apps, and help write or edit text. Siri AI is available in beta in macOS 27.2 in English, French, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, and Spanish, and is not available to users under 13. Some server-based Apple Intelligence features have daily usage limits.

Safari gains automatic tab organization, notifications when websites change, and extensions created from a description. Shortcuts can build automations from natural-language requests, while Photos adds intelligent editing tools. A Settings slider adjusts the transparency of Liquid Glass.

Apple says the stand uses entirely recycled aluminum, all magnets use recycled rare earth elements, and Apple-designed circuit boards use recycled gold plating and tin solder. Manufacturing uses 40 percent renewable electricity across the supply chain.

Eligible U.S. customers can lease the new iMac through Apple Upgrade from $28.99 per month for 36 months, excluding taxes and trade-in credit. This is a lease, not an installment purchase.