Just days before its big fall launch event, Apple dropped a surprise bombshell. On August 25th, the company’s official website went live with the new Mac mini powered by the M5 Pro and M6 chips, alongside refreshed Mac Studio models running the M5 Max and M5 Ultra.
Apple says the M6 is its first chip built on a cutting-edge 2-nanometer process, while the M5 Ultra is being touted as “the most powerful chip Apple has ever created.”
Breaking down the specs, the M6 packs a 12-core CPU, a 12-core GPU, and dual 16-core Neural Engines, and the Mac mini is the first device to rock it. Compared to the M4-based model, the M6 Mac mini delivers up to 4x the AI performance, doubles the storage capacity and graphics speed, and boosts CPU performance by 40%. It’s also primed to run the upcoming macOS 27 and the next generation of Apple Intelligence out of the box.
Here’s where things get spicy: the price tag. The M6 Mac mini starts at ¥6,999 for the Chinese mainland version—a hefty ¥2,500 jump from the M4 model’s ¥4,499 launch price back in 2024. Meanwhile, the M5 Pro Mac mini will set you back at least ¥12,999.
Stepping up the ladder, the new Mac Studio boasts a 4.3x boost in AI performance over its predecessor, doubles the storage speed, and cranks up CPU speed by 1.3x—with a starting price of ¥19,999. Both machines open for pre-order at 9 a.m. on August 27th, with full retail availability kicking off September 22nd.
What makes these launches extra intriguing? They might just be the swan song for Apple CEO Tim Cook, who officially steps down from the top role on September 1st. He’ll transition to executive chairman of the board, while John Ternus, Apple’s senior VP of hardware engineering, takes the reins as CEO and joins the board. Ternus is expected to make his debut splash at the September iPhone event with the foldable iPhone—a bold first move signaling a new chapter in Apple’s AI-hardware integration.
According to Mark Gurman, the tech journalist who keeps a close eye on Apple’s supply chain, the company is likely to hold its fall product event on September 9th. Headliners are expected to include the iPhone 18 Pro series, the first foldable iPhone, plus new Apple Watch and AirPods models. And with the M6 now in the wild, this 2nm chip is expected to find its way into more devices down the road.
Gurman also reported back in July that Apple is reshaping its Mac chip roadmap to keep pace with AI demands. After launching the base M6 this fall, Apple reportedly plans to skip the usual high-end variants—M6 Pro, M6 Max, and M6 Ultra—and jump straight into M7 development. The M7 is slated for release in the first half of 2027, with the M7 Ultra following in 2028.
Word on the street is that the M7 Ultra will significantly amp up AI performance, aiming to get close to dedicated AI accelerators like Nvidia’s Blackwell lineup, and could serve as the foundation for Apple’s next-gen AI server chips. Beyond that, Apple is already tinkering with the M8 and later chips, with 2028 products expected to move to a 1.4nm process.
