Apple announced a new iPad mini, an M6 MacBook Pro and an M6 iMac, all open for pre-order now and shipping Nov. 6, before a bigger event in Los Angeles.
Apple has put three new devices on sale before its "Pro and Tell" event in Los Angeles: an iPad mini with an OLED screen, a 14-inch MacBook Pro and an iMac. The Macs run on Apple's new M6 chip. Pre-orders open Wednesday, Oct. 28, and all three ship Friday, Nov. 6.
The MacBook Pro gets the M6 chip. Apple says its graphics are up to 30 percent faster than the M5 model and its AI work is up to 25 percent faster. Battery life is rated at up to 24 hours, which Apple calls the longest ever in a Mac. Memory runs from 16GB to 32GB. It comes in space black and silver.
The iMac jumps from the M4 chip straight to M6, skipping M5. Apple says it runs AI on the device itself up to 5x faster than the M4 model. The screen, camera and seven colors are unchanged. A model with a 12-core processor costs $1,699.
The iPad mini gets an 8.5-inch OLED screen in the same size body, thanks to thinner edges. Apple says it is twice as bright as the last model at its peak. It is also thinner, at 5.4mm, and adds IP67 water and dust resistance. Colors are midnight and starlight.
Apple Creator Studio, its bundle of creative apps, costs $12.99 per month or $129 per year. Apple says it arrives on the App Store this November. AI assistants, still in beta, are coming to Logic Pro, Keynote, Pages and Numbers. Apple says they are built on its own models and OpenAI's. Existing subscribers get the updates at no extra cost.
The iMac price matches what the M4 iMac sells for now, after a $200 increase in June, according to MacRumors. Apple's biggest speed claims compare the new Macs with much older ones. Owners of an M1 MacBook Pro could see up to 11x faster graphics, and Intel iMac owners up to 18x better overall performance. These are Apple's own figures.
Apple is widely expected to show a MacBook Pro with an OLED touchscreen at the event, and CEO John Ternus is teasing it on X. Its price and release date are not known yet. Anyone eyeing a high-end Mac may want to wait and see before ordering the $1,999 model. For the iMac or iPad mini, the prices and ship date are set.
The iPad mini, M6 MacBook Pro and M6 iMac ship Nov. 6, but a rumored OLED MacBook Pro could change the plan of anyone shopping for a laptop.
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