Apple just announced a new 24-inch iMac with the M6 chip, which has up to a 12-core CPU, up to a 12-core GPU and a Dual 16-core Neural Engine. With this update, the GPU core now has its own Neural Accelerator, and memory bandwidth reaches up to 170GB/s. Apple pitches the M6 iMac at running large language models (LLMs) on the device itself.
Apple says on-device AI runs up to 5x faster than on the M4 iMac. It timed how fast a 14-billion-parameter model starts answering an 8K-token prompt in LM Studio, on a 12-core M6 with 32GB of memory. So it’s a number for people who run local models, not for your spreadsheets.
Apple also claims the world’s fastest single-threaded CPU performance, from its own tests against shipping rivals on select industry-standard benchmarks. Its own N1 chip handles Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6 and Thread, and 2.5Gb Ethernet is available.
The 10-core model gets two Thunderbolt/USB 4 ports and one external display, with up to 24GB of memory and 1TB of storage. The 12-core model gets four Thunderbolt 4 ports, two 6K external displays, up to 32GB and 2TB, Touch ID as standard and the nano-texture glass option. So the cheaper iMac gives up ports and room to grow, not just two cores.
iMac with M6 key specs
- Display: 24-inch 4.5K Retina (23.5 inches measured diagonally), 4480 x 2520 at 218 ppi; 500 nits; P3 wide color; True Tone; nano-texture glass option on the 12-core model
- Processor: Apple M6; 10-core CPU (2 super, 3 performance and 5 efficiency cores) or 12-core CPU (2 super, 4 performance and 6 efficiency cores); Dual 16-core Neural Engine; up to 170GB/s memory bandwidth
- Graphics: 10-core or 12-core GPU with Neural Accelerators and hardware-accelerated ray tracing
- Memory: 16GB; up to 24GB (10-core) or 32GB (12-core)
- Storage: 256GB SSD; up to 1TB (10-core) or 2TB (12-core)
- Ports: two Thunderbolt/USB 4 ports (10-core) or four Thunderbolt 4 ports (12-core); 3.5mm headphone jack; 2.5Gb Ethernet available
- External displays: one at up to 6K and 60Hz (10-core); two at up to 6K and 60Hz, or one at up to 8K and 60Hz (12-core)
- Camera: 12MP Center Stage with Desk View, 1080p video
- Audio: six-speaker system with force-cancelling woofers; Spatial Audio with Dolby Atmos; three-mic array
- Connectivity: Apple N1 chip with Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6 and Thread
- Software: macOS 27
- Size and weight: 54.7cm wide, 46.1cm tall; 4.42kg (10-core), 4.44kg (12-core)
- Colors: blue, purple, pink, orange, yellow, green, silver
- Other: color-matched Magic Keyboard and Magic Mouse, with Touch ID on the 12-core model’s keyboard; Magic Trackpad optional; 143W power adapter
In the Philippines, the 10-core model starts at Php 109,990 (about $1,720) while the 12-core at Php 124,990 (about $1,950). In the US, they start at $1,499 (about Php 95,900) and $1,699 (about Php 108,700). Pre-orders are now open in 35 countries and regions, including the US, and the iMac arrives from Friday, November 6th.
