Apple unveils M6 iMac with faster AI and Wi-Fi 7

Apple has unveiled a new iMac powered by its M6 chip, promising a substantial lift in everyday performance and on-device AI while keeping the colourful all-in-one design. The 24-inch desktop arrives with Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6, faster storage and a 4.5K Retina display. ¹²

What is new in the M6 iMac

Apple says the M6 iMac can be configured with up to a 12-core CPU and 12-core GPU, with Neural Accelerators in every GPU core. The company claims up to twice the graphics performance of the M4 model and up to five times faster on-device AI performance when compared with the previous generation. Those gains are aimed at everything from everyday multitasking to photo and video editing, local language models and other AI workloads. ¹

The new Dual 16-core Neural Engine is designed to handle AI tasks locally, which Apple says allows users to run models on the iMac while keeping their data on the device. The system also supports Siri AI and Apple Intelligence features through macOS 27. Apple claims up to 170GB/s of memory bandwidth, although real-world performance will depend on the chosen configuration and workload. ¹

The graphics changes are not limited to benchmarks. Apple says the M6 GPU offers up to twice the ray-tracing performance of the M4, while its Neural Accelerators are intended to help with creative applications and games. The iMac keeps the 24-inch 4.5K Retina display, built-in camera, speakers and microphones, and colour-matched keyboard and mouse.

Connectivity, price and availability

Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6 are now standard features, alongside an available 2.5 Gigabit Ethernet connection. Apple also says the integrated SSD can deliver up to twice the read and write speeds of the M4-era iMac, and the desktop can be configured with up to four Thunderbolt 4 ports. Two external 6K displays can be connected. ¹

The M6 iMac starts at $1,499 in the US. Pre-orders open on 28 October, with availability beginning on 6 November. Apple is offering the desktop in blue, green, pink, yellow, purple, orange and silver. UK pricing and availability may differ, so British buyers should check Apple's local store rather than converting the US price directly. ¹²

Our opinion

The M6 iMac is a meaningful technical refresh rather than a visual redesign. Wi-Fi 7, faster storage and more capable local AI are practical upgrades, while the seven-colour design remains the product's most obvious flourish. The important question will be configuration pricing: the base model looks more attractive on paper, but memory, storage and port choices will decide whether the new iMac is genuinely good value for creators or mainly a polished gateway into Apple's ecosystem.