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Apple's M6 iMac Moves to 2.5Gb Ethernet and Wi-Fi 7, and the Cheapest Model Now Starts at $1,499
Apple's 24-inch iMac jumps from M4 to M6 with up to 12 CPU cores, 170GB/s memory bandwidth, 2.5Gb Ethernet and a faster SSD, while the $1,299 eight-core model disappears from the lineup.
The headline numbers in Apple’s announcement are core counts: “up to a 12-core CPU — two more cores than before” and a GPU that also gains two cores, which Apple says brings “up to 2x faster graphics” compared to M4. Memory bandwidth rises to “up to 170GB/s.” On the M4 iMac it was 120GB/s, according to Apple’s own support spec pages for the old model.
The changes a network admin will notice sit further down the page. The iMac gets “Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6, along with 2.5Gb Ethernet that delivers up to 2.5x faster wired connectivity than the previous generation.” The SSD gets “up to 2x faster” reads and writes. Apple also pitches local AI, claiming “up to 5x faster performance than M4” for prompt processing in LM Studio.
Pre-orders opened October 28, and the machines arrive Friday, November 6. The 10-core CPU and 10-core GPU model “starts at $1,499 (U.S.),” and the 12-core model starts at $1,699.
| iMac M6, two ports | iMac M6, four ports | iMac M4, two ports | iMac M4, four ports | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Starting price (U.S.) | $1,499 | $1,699 | $1,299 | $1,499 |
| Education price | $1,449 | $1,599 | $1,249 | $1,399 |
| CPU | 10-core (2 super, 3 performance, 5 efficiency) | 12-core (2 super, 4 performance, 6 efficiency) | 8-core (4 performance, 4 efficiency) | 10-core (4 performance, 6 efficiency) |
| Memory bandwidth | Up to 170GB/s | Up to 170GB/s | 120GB/s | 120GB/s |
| Ethernet | Configurable with 2.5Gb | 2.5Gb | Configurable with Gigabit | Gigabit |
| External displays | One | Up to two at 6K 60Hz | One | Up to two at 6K 60Hz |
| Wireless | Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6 | Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6 | Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.3 | Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.3 |
Every figure comes from Apple: the iMac spec page for the M6 models, the support pages for the two-port and four-port M4 models, and the October 2024 launch post for the M4 prices.
The table shows what the press release leaves out. The $1,499 starting price used to buy the four-port M4 model, and now it buys the two-port M6. Apple dropped the eight-core configuration rather than putting a cheaper chip in its place, so the cheapest way into an iMac rose by $200. Education buyers pay $50 more than they did for the 10-core M4.
The press release says the iMac can “connect up to two 6K external displays.” The four-port M4 already could. The two-port M6 still lists “Supports one external display,” and its 2.5Gb Ethernet is a configuration option, as Gigabit was on the M4. The screen itself is the same 24-inch 4.5K panel at 500 nits.
Then there’s the missing generation. Apple’s iMac comparison page lists M6, M4 and M3 models and no M5 iMac at all. The jump covers two chip generations, which is where the “up to 5x” LM Studio figure gets its size.
If you run a lab or a front office full of iMacs, the 2.5Gb port only pays off when the switch port on the other end also runs at 2.5Gb, and the two-port model has to be ordered with Ethernet in the first place. Wi-Fi 7 through Apple’s N1 chip only helps if the access points speak it. For anyone who bought the four-port M4 to drive two monitors, nothing about the display story has changed.
Apple’s announcement doesn’t put a price on the 2.5Gb Ethernet option for the 10-core model, and it doesn’t say whether the M5 skip means the iMac now runs on a two-year cycle.