Apple puts M6 chip in new iMac with five times faster on-device AI

Apple has introduced its latest all-in-one desktop computer, the iMac powered by the new M6 processor. The system comes in seven colors and retains a 24-inch 4.5K Retina display while delivering major hardware updates intended to handle artificial intelligence workloads and heavy creative tasks.

Hardware upgrades and AI processing

The M6 processor features up to a 12-core CPU and up to a 12-core GPU, which adds Neural Accelerators into every graphics core. According to Apple, this design provides up to two times faster graphics compared to the previous M4 generation. The chip also features unified memory bandwidth reaching up to 170GB/s.

For machine learning tasks, Apple equipped the desktop with a Dual 16-core Neural Engine. The company states that the machine provides up to five times faster on-device artificial intelligence performance than M4-equipped systems. Apple also claims overall performance jumps of up to 18 times when compared to older Intel-based iMac models.

Software and connectivity features

Running macOS 27, the desktop integrates updated Apple Intelligence features and a revamped Siri AI system. These software tools allow users to search information across messages, emails, and photos, or use Visual Intelligence to analyze content displayed on the screen. The built-in Safari browser includes automated tab sorting and alerts for website price drops.

Physical and wireless connectivity receive several upgrades. The iMac supports Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6, alongside optional 2.5 Gigabit Ethernet. It provides up to four Thunderbolt 4 ports, can connect up to two external 6K displays, and includes internal solid-state storage that reads and writes up to twice as fast as before.