At its Pro and Tell<\/b> event today, Apple announced the long-awaited iMac with M6 chip<\/b>, promising faster performance for everyday tasks and creative work, as well as a bigger boost for on-device AI. The new model, however, still retains the same familiar slim, colourful design and 24-inch 4.5K Retina display <\/b>\u2013 this is more of a refresh than a proper redesign.<\/p>\n
The starting price, however, is less familiar. At S$2,099<\/b>, the base iMac with M6 costs S$300 more than the M4 model did at launch. The wider context is hard to ignore: demand from AI data centres is putting pressure on memory and storage supplies, pushing up component costs across the industry. Apple ex-CEO Tim Cook has previously said that higher memory and storage costs are feeding into the prices of Apple products. That gives the increase some context, even if it does not make the new iMac any easier to afford.<\/p>\n
The iMac with M6 has up to a 12-core CPU<\/b> and 12-core GPU<\/b>, with Neural Accelerators built into each GPU core. In the press release, Apple says this \u201cdelivers up to twice the graphics performance of the M4 model\u201d (remember, Apple did not release an iMac with the M5 chip). Its Dual 16-core Neural Engine<\/b> is also designed to speed up AI tasks, with Apple claiming \u201cup to five times faster on-device AI performance than the M4 iMac\u201d, so users can run local AI models, while Apple Intelligence features are built into macOS 27.<\/p>\n
That software push includes Siri AI, which we have covered previously but in short it can answer questions, search across messages and photos, and take action in apps. It is also integrated into Spotlight, where users can ask follow-up questions, and can help write or edit text in apps such as Mail and Messages.<\/p>\n Photo: Apple<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n The iMac\u2019s other specifications get a refresh, too. It now supports Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6, and is available with 2.5 Gigabit Ethernet. Apple says its SSD read and write speeds are \u201cup to twice as fast\u201d as those from the iMac M4. Depending on the configuration, the new iMac has two USB-C ports or up to four Thunderbolt 4 ports and can connect to as many as two 6K external displays.<\/p>\n Apple is also keeping the 12-megapixel Center Stage camera, which can keep users framed during video calls, as well as Desk View for showing a top-down view of a workspace.<\/p>\n The iMac will be available in blue, green, pink, yellow, purple, orange and silver. Price starts from $2,099<\/b> at the Apple Store Singapore, with pre-orders beginning from 29 October<\/b> and availability starting from 6 November<\/b>. Click here to pre-order\/buy.<\/p>\n<\/div>\nAvailability and pricing<\/h2>\n
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