Apple iMac entry-level refresh brings M6 and extended options

What happened

Ars Technica reports The M6 with two Thunderbolt ports offers a 10-core CPU and a 10-core GPU, while the M6 with four Thunderbolt ports provides 12 cores for each.

Ars Technica reports The two-port iMac variant supports up to 24 GB of RAM and 1TB of storage, whereas the four-port variant supports up to 32GB of RAM and 2TB of storage.

Ars Technica reports The MacBook Pro version caps at 32GB of RAM and can go up to 4TB of storage.

Ars Technica reports Apple skipped the M5 and went straight to the M6 here.

Ars Technica reports In moving from the M4 to the M6, users can expect up to 40 percent faster CPU performance, up to double graphics performance, and nearly five times faster on-device AI, according to Apple when discussing the Mac mini.

Ars Technica reports The prior entry-level 14-inch MacBook Pro used the M5, so this one advances a generation.

Ars Technica reports That means up to 30 percent faster graphics and up to double the Neural Engine performance.

Ars Technica reports The iMac can be configured with up to 2.5Gb Ethernet, while the MacBook Pro still lacks an Ethernet port.

Ars Technica reports The iMac starts at $1,499 for the two-port version, or $1,699 for the four-port version.

Why it matters

• Context

  The iMac and MacBook Pro refreshes mark a substantial generation jump to the M6, with multiple configuration options and notable performance and connectivity enhancements.