Apple skips a generation to bring the M6 chip to iMac and MacBook Pro

Apple just skipped a generation of silicon for its all-in-one desktop, bypassing the M5 to drop the M6 chip straight into a refreshed iMac lineup alongside the entry-level 14-inch MacBook Pro. Externally, neither machine looks any different from its immediate predecessor, preserving identical chassis designs. Under the hood, however, the performance jump is substantial.

Apple claims the M6 iMac delivers up to double the graphics performance and nearly five times faster on-device artificial intelligence processing compared to the older M4 model. The entry-level MacBook Pro steps up from the M5 generation to gain roughly 30 percent faster graphics and doubled Neural Engine performance.

Our read is that Apple is aggressively pushing its latest silicon architecture across the entire desktop and portable ecosystem as fast as fabrication allows, treating the M5 as a fleeting stepping stone for select devices. Both computers also integrate the new N1 wireless chip, bringing Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6 connectivity to the hardware.

Pre-orders open immediately ahead of retail availability, leaving buyers to weigh whether these internal silicon leaps justify investing in exterior designs that refuse to change.