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Apple introduced a refreshed Mac Mini powered by its new M6 chip, priced from $899 for 256GB storage and 16GB RAM, with pre-orders open now and shipping starting September 22. A higher-end M5 Pro variant starts at $1,699 with 512GB storage and 24GB RAM. Apple also launched new Mac Studio desktops built on M5 Max and M5 Ultra chips, priced from $2,499 and $5,499 respectively.
Apple unveiled its M6 processor, first appearing in the Mac Mini, built on a 2nm manufacturing process with 12 CPU cores, a 12-core GPU, and a dual 16-core neural engine. Apple claims roughly 20% faster multithreaded performance and larger GPU gains over the M5, along with memory bandwidth up to 170GB/s, though independent testing hasn't yet confirmed these figures.
Apple has updated the Mac mini for the first time in nearly two years, keeping its compact design but switching to a new chip lineup. The base model now runs on the newly introduced M6 chip, Apple's first built on a 2nm process, while the higher tier uses the M5 Pro chip that debuted earlier this year in the MacBook Pro. Both configurations are available for pre-order starting today.
Apple unveiled two new chips, the 2nm M6 and the quad-die M5 Ultra, alongside refreshed Mac desktops built around them. The M6 combines super, performance and efficiency cores for the first time and adds a Neural Accelerator to each GPU core, while the M5 Ultra fuses two M5 Max chips into one processor with up to 36 CPU cores, 80 GPU cores and 512GB of unified memory. Neither desktop gets major new features beyond faster specs and higher pricing.
Apple has introduced the M6 chip, its first built on a 2nm process, featuring a 12-core CPU and 12-core GPU with a dual 16-core Neural Engine for on-device AI tasks. Alongside it, Apple revealed the M5 Ultra, which fuses two M5 Max dies into a quad-die chip with up to 36 CPU cores, 80 GPU cores, and support for 512GB of unified memory. The M6 will power a new Mac Mini and the M5 Ultra a new Mac Studio, both open for preorder Tuesday ahead of a September 22nd release.
Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reports Apple may release an updated Mac mini within days, ahead of the anticipated September event for the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone Ultra. The refresh follows persistent supply shortages and rising demand tied to users running AI models locally, with Apple said to have tested both M5 and M6 chip variants.