Apple launches new iMac with powerful M6 chip

Apple introduced a new iMac with the M6 chip on October 27, 2026, in the middle of a week of product unveilings. 9to5Mac's report, by Ryan Christoffel and timestamped 6:01 am PT, describes an upgraded iMac powered by M6 with the same 24-inch display and overall design as before and with upgraded internals. Yesterday brought the new iPad mini with OLED. The M6 iMac starts at $1,499, the same price as before.

This piece covers the announcement timing, the M6 core counts versus the previous iMac, the speed figures versus M4, the N1 wireless chip and 2.5Gb Ethernet, who those changes serve, and how pre-orders work ahead of the rumored MacBook Pro redesign. It is for shoppers comparing this 24-inch iMac with the M4 model, and for readers following Apple's unveilings this week.

Apple new iMac with powerful M6 chip: the announcement

Apple is in the midst of a week of product unveilings, and the M6 iMac is the desktop in that run. Yesterday brought the new iPad mini with OLED. On October 27, 2026, Apple introduced the upgraded iMac powered by the M6 chip. The new iMac has the same 24-inch display and overall design as before, with upgraded internals. M6 is the main focus, with notable improvements over the M4 model in several key areas. The iMac line was originally released in 1998, and this model keeps that 24-inch all-in-one.

The M6 iMac starts at $1,499, the same price as before. Pre-orders for the new iMac start October 28 at 10:10 a.m. PT. That opening is expected to be just minutes after the rumored MacBook Pro redesign is unveiled. The computer will ship Friday, November 6. Those are the dated points around the launch: an October 27 introduction, an October 28 pre-order at 10:10 a.m. PT, and shipment on Friday, November 6, at the same $1,499 starting price. The display on that order remains 24 inches.

What actually changed with Apple new iMac with powerful M6 chip

M6 is the internal upgrade. It has an up to 12-core CPU, a 12-core GPU, and a Dual 16-core Neural Engine. The previous iMac only offered up to a 10-core CPU and GPU, and a 16-core Neural Engine. The top CPU count moves from 10 cores to 12, and the top GPU count moves from 10 cores to 12. Compared with M4, the listed gains are up to 40% faster CPU performance, up to 2x faster graphics, up to 2x faster storage, and up to 5x faster AI performance.

Wireless and Ethernet change with the chip. An N1 wireless chip provides Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6, up from Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3. The iMac adds 2.5Gb Ethernet, described as offering "up to 2.5x faster wired connectivity than the previous generation." The M4 comparison also puts storage at up to 2x faster and AI performance at up to 5x faster on M6. The panel stays a 24-inch display, the overall design stays the previous one, and the starting price stays $1,499.

Who should care about Apple new iMac with powerful M6 chip

Owners of the previous iMac can read the core counts straight across. That model offered up to a 10-core CPU and GPU and a 16-core Neural Engine. The M6 iMac offers an up to 12-core CPU, a 12-core GPU, and a Dual 16-core Neural Engine. Against M4, the announced gains are up to 40% faster CPU performance, up to 2x faster graphics, up to 2x faster storage, and up to 5x faster AI performance. The starting price remains $1,499, the same price as before.

People buying for the ports have a separate list. The N1 wireless chip brings Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6, up from Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3, and 2.5Gb Ethernet is quoted at "up to 2.5x faster wired connectivity than the previous generation." Yesterday's unveil in the same week was the new iPad mini with OLED, and this M6 iMac followed on October 27. Pre-orders on October 28 at 10:10 a.m. PT sit just minutes after the rumored MacBook Pro redesign is expected to be unveiled.

How to try Apple new iMac with powerful M6 chip

Pre-orders for the new iMac start October 28 at 10:10 a.m. PT, and the computer ships Friday, November 6. The starting price is $1,499, the same price as before. That price is for the 24-inch iMac with M6 internals: an up to 12-core CPU, a 12-core GPU, and a Dual 16-core Neural Engine. The order also includes the N1 wireless chip, with Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6 up from Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3, plus 2.5Gb Ethernet. The previous iMac topped out at a 10-core CPU and GPU and a 16-core Neural Engine.

October 28 at 10:10 a.m. PT is expected to fall just minutes after the rumored MacBook Pro redesign is unveiled. The morning runs from that expected redesign to iMac pre-orders at 10:10 a.m. PT, and the iMac then ships Friday, November 6. What ships is the same 24-inch display and overall design as before, with M6 where the previous iMac had the M4 model, and with 2.5Gb Ethernet described as "up to 2.5x faster wired connectivity than the previous generation." The $1,499 starting price is unchanged.

What to watch after Apple new iMac with powerful M6 chip

The next time on the calendar is October 28 at 10:10 a.m. PT, when M6 iMac pre-orders start. Just minutes before that, the rumored MacBook Pro redesign is expected to be unveiled. The iMac announcement sits in a week of product unveilings. Yesterday brought the new iPad mini with OLED, and October 27 brought the M6 iMac with the same 24-inch display and overall design as before. When pre-orders open, the starting price to match is $1,499, the same price as before.

Friday, November 6 is the ship date. The iMac scheduled to ship has an up to 12-core CPU, a 12-core GPU, and a Dual 16-core Neural Engine. Compared with M4, the gains are up to 40% faster CPU performance, up to 2x faster graphics, up to 2x faster storage, and up to 5x faster AI performance. N1 wireless brings Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6, up from Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3, and 2.5Gb Ethernet is quoted at "up to 2.5x faster wired connectivity than the previous generation."