Apple launches 14-inch MacBook Pro with M6 chip at Rs 2,39,900 in India; OLED model only rumoured so far

Apple on Tuesday, 27 October, announced a new 14-inch MacBook Pro powered by its M6 chip, the first Mac to use the new processor, with pre-orders opening on Wednesday, 28 October and deliveries from Friday, 6 November. In the US the laptop starts at $1,999, while in India it is priced from Rs 2,39,900, or Rs 2,27,900 with education pricing, according to a report by The Telegraph’s t2. The launch came a day before Apple’s “Pro and tell” event in Los Angeles, where an OLED touchscreen MacBook Pro is widely reported, but not confirmed, to be unveiled.

What Apple has officially announced

According to Apple’s newsroom release, the M6 has a 12-core CPU and a 12-core GPU, each two cores more than the previous generation, with a Neural Accelerator in every GPU core and a dual 16-core Neural Engine. MacRumors reports the CPU is split into two super cores, four performance cores and six efficiency cores.

Apple claims, compared with the M5 version, up to 30 per cent faster graphics, up to 25 per cent faster on-device AI workloads and a Neural Engine that is up to 1.9 times quicker. These are the company’s own figures and have not yet been independently tested. Other key specifications:

• 16GB of unified memory as standard, configurable to 32GB, with bandwidth of up to 170GB/s;
• a starting storage of 1TB, according to 9to5Mac and MacRumors;
• up to 24 hours of battery life, which Apple calls the longest ever on a Mac, and fast charging to 50 per cent in about 30 minutes with a compatible adapter;
• Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6;
• HDMI, MagSafe 3, three Thunderbolt 4 ports, an SDXC slot and a headphone jack;
• space black and silver finishes.

No OLED on this model

The M6 model keeps the Liquid Retina XDR display, a mini-LED panel with up to 1,600 nits of peak HDR brightness and an optional nano-texture finish. MacRumors notes that apart from the chip and wireless upgrades, the laptop is otherwise the same as the M5 model it replaces. It is the entry model in the line-up; Apple continues to sell the M5 Pro and M5 Max versions, 9to5Mac reported. Apple has not announced M6 Pro or M6 Max chips.

What is still only a report

The bigger change that buyers have been waiting for, an OLED screen, has not been officially announced. Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman has reported, as summarised by MacRumors, that Apple will unveil 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models with touch-enabled OLED displays at the 28 October event, with a lighter design and a Dynamic Island in place of the notch. According to that reporting, these models would use the existing M5 Pro and M5 Max chips rather than M6 variants, and could cost up to $500 more than the current models. Engadget also cites Gurman for the M5 Pro and M5 Max detail. None of this has been confirmed by Apple.

The event is scheduled for 10 am Pacific time on 28 October, which is 10.30 pm IST.

India pricing and availability

Apple’s global newsroom release says pre-orders are open in 35 countries and regions but does not list them. The Rs 2,39,900 starting price and the 28 October pre-order and 6 November sale dates for India come from The Telegraph’s t2 report; buyers should confirm final configurations and pricing on Apple’s India online store. Apple has also announced an M6 iMac on the same schedule, starting at $1,499 in the US, TechCrunch reported.

Sources

• Apple Newsroom: Apple introduces the new 14-inch MacBook Pro with M6
• MacRumors: Apple Announces New 14-Inch MacBook Pro With M6 Chip
• 9to5Mac: Apple unveils new 14-inch MacBook Pro powered by M6
• TechCrunch: Apple unveils new 14-inch MacBook Pro with M6 chip
• The Telegraph t2: MacBook Pro with M6 gets Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6 and up to 24 hours of battery life
• MacRumors: Apple Reportedly Announcing New MacBook Pro With OLED Touchscreen on Wednesday
• 9to5Mac: Apple announces special event for October 28: ‘Pro and tell’
• Engadget: What to expect at Apple’s ‘Pro and Tell’ event on October 28