Apple unveils M6 MacBook Pro and iMac before Oct. 28 event

Apple spent the first two days of this week releasing new hardware ahead of its "Pro and tell" launch in Los Angeles on Wednesday, Oct. 28. On Monday it announced an OLED iPad mini starting at $699, and on Tuesday it added an M6 14-inch MacBook Pro from $1,999 and an M6 iMac from $1,499, according to MacRumors and iClarified. Pre-orders for all three open Oct. 28, and the devices go on sale Friday, Nov. 6. The products lead into Apple's planned debut of its first touch-screen MacBook, Bloomberg reported.macrumors.com+2

iPad mini gets OLED and a higher price

The new iPad mini has an 8.5-inch OLED screen, up from 8.3 inches, along with an A20 Pro chip and an IP67 dust and water resistance rating. It is the first iPad with that rating, made possible by an "Acoustic Display" system that places the speakers beneath the screen, Bloomberg reported. It is 14% thinner and 13% lighter than the previous model and adds Wi-Fi 7 through Apple's N1 chip. The cellular version starts at $849, according to Apple.moneycontrol.com+1

The starting price is $100 higher than the previous model's $599, making this the iPad mini's second price increase this year, MacRumors noted. Not every early reaction was positive. The Verge's David Pierce called the device "a new low for the product," the outlet reported.macrumors.com+1

M6 comes to the MacBook Pro and iMac

In the 14-inch MacBook Pro, the M6 chip has a 12-core CPU and a 12-core GPU, two more cores each than before. Apple says graphics are up to 30% faster and AI workloads up to 25% faster than on the M5, with battery life of up to 24 hours, the longest ever in a Mac, according to the company's press release. Memory starts at 16GB and can be configured up to 32GB. "With the powerful M6 chip, we're taking performance to the next level," said Shelly Goldberg, Apple's vice president of Hardware Engineering.tradingview.com

The iMac keeps its 24-inch 4.5K display and seven colors. The base model has a 10-core CPU and GPU, and a 12-core version starts at $1,699, iClarified reported. Both Macs get Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6. A 2.5 Gigabit Ethernet port is available on the iMac for an extra $30, MacRumors reported.iclarified.com+1

Touch-screen Mac expected next

Higher-end 14- and 16-inch MacBook Pro models with touch-enabled OLED displays are expected on Wednesday, MacRumors reported. The M6 is likely to be short-lived. Bloomberg has reported that Apple will skip M6 Pro and M6 Max chips and plans to launch the M7 in the first half of 2027, according to MacRumors.macrumors.com+1