In addition to the spec bumps, today’s M6-powered iMac and 14-inch MacBook Pro announcements came with an extra piece of good news: prices remained unchanged from the previous generations, unlike several other recent Apple product launches that brought another round of increases. Here are the details.
Prices unchanged, for a change
Earlier today, Apple announced two new M6-powered Macs, which start at the same prices as their predecessors.
And while both models benefit from the faster M6 chip, iMac buyers are also getting more CPU and GPU cores for the same price, as the base model now comes with a 10-core CPU and 10-core GPU, up from the 8-core CPU and 8-core GPU in the previous generation’s M4 chip.
As 9to5Mac readers probably remember, Apple raised prices across much of its product lineup in June, including the iMac, which went from $1,299 to $1,499, and the 14-inch MacBook Pro, which went from $1,699 to $1,999.
At the time, the company also hiked prices for the HomePod mini, Apple TV 4K, and iPad mini, all of which saw new versions announced recently with yet another price bump.
The HomePod mini, which went from $99 to $129 in June, now costs $149 with the second-generation model. The Apple TV 4K, which previously started at $129, jumped to $199 in June, while the new generation starts at $299 (albeit with twice the storage). And the iPad mini, which went from $499 to $599 in June, now starts at $699 with the OLED model announced earlier this week.
And while iPhone prices were left untouched during the June increases, that changed in September with the launch of the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max, which now start at $1,199 and $1,299, respectively, up $100 from their predecessors.
Apple also raised prices by $100 for the older iPhone models still in its lineup, including the iPhone 17, iPhone Air, and iPhone 17e.
With that in mind, although the new M6-powered Macs are far from cheap, it’s still good news that they didn’t come with another price hike on top of the June increases.
Things are looking way less promising for those waiting for tomorrow’s expected OLED touchscreen MacBook Pro models, however, with Bloomberg reporting that Apple has discussed a $2,899 starting price for the 14-inch model. If Apple applies the same rumored $400 premium to the current 16-inch model, which starts at $2,999, the new version could cost $3,399 or more.
That, in turn, makes Apple’s decision to keep prices unchanged for today’s M6-powered Macs all the more welcome, especially for buyers who were already dreading the possibility of having to shell out even more after waiting for the new models. Whether that will hold remains to be seen.
What’s your take on Apple’s pricing strategy for the M6 Macs announced earlier today? Let us know in the comments.
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