Later today, Apple’s Pro and Tell event is supposed to unveil the company’s new OLED-toting MacBook Pro models. They’ll contain M6 chipsets — likely the beefier variants — and a few other upgrades. The presentation will be focused enough that Apple feels safe detailing its 14in MacBook Pro with M6 refresh a little early.
And ‘refresh’ is the correct term. The new ‘affordable’ Pro uses Apple’s new M6 chipset, but the rest of the specs, down to the 14in mini-LED display, remain the same as before. If pricing holds steady, you’ll nab one of the upgrades for around R41,000 when they get to South Africa.
MacBook Pros and cons
The lack of other changes explains why Apple spent so much time talking up its new M6 silicon. It’s also extremely specific, measuring up to 30% more GPU performance from the 12-core chipset. It’s also 25% quicker, and this is important, for AI-specific functions. As usual, the efficient chipset and the companion 72.4Wh battery promise lengthy spells away from a charger. Up to 24 hours if you’re watching videos, and sixteen hours of web browsing. That should be enough for an entire day at (or away from) the office.
As before, buyers have a choice between 16GB, 24GB, and 32GB of RAM. The Americans get between 1TB and 4TB of storage. South African fans will likely only have the first option. You’re unlikely to upgrade it based purely on visual differences, because there aren’t any. The 14.2in 3,024 x 1,964 mini-LED display is unchanged, and the chassis is identical to the previous model.
American pre-orders go live later today, at the same prices as the 14in M5 MacBook Pro. The last time this happened, South Africans actually got a slight price drop. We’ll have to see how that plays out when local availability is announced. It also remains to be seen whether the new OLED 14in and 16in MacBook Pro models due tonight can tempt folks away from only paying R40k into Apple’s coffers.
