It’s just weeks until Apple’s big special event — read this for full details of what’s happening when — but Apple just made a surprise announcement relating to the Mac. Here are all the details.Apple's brand-new chips: M6 and M5 UltraAppleNew Mac mini Debuts With M6 ChipAvailable to pre-order from today, there’s a new Mac mini with the first sight of the M6 chip, and a Mac Studio with another all-new processor, the M5 Ultra. Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, who yesterday predicted an upgraded Mac mini was inbound, made no mention of the M5 Ultra and Mac Studio releases.ForbesiPhone 18 Pro Latest Release Schedule: What To Expect WhenBy David PhelanMORE FOR YOUThe First 2nm Apple Silicon ProcessorThe Mac mini is now kitted out with a choice of two chips. First is the new M6 processor, the first 2nm processor from Apple, with a 12-core CPU, 12-core GPU and dual 16-core Neural Engine. To translate, this means it delivers the world’s fastest single-threaded performance and up to 1.2x faster multithreaded performance as compared to M5, and up to 2.4x faster than the earlier M1, Apple claims.The 2nm processor means a lot more transistors on a smaller die, to provide extra performance and power efficiency. It is designed so that the ability to run on-device AI workloads is significantly increased.Apple Mac mini, now with M6 chip.AppleMac Mini M6 Price Increase The Mac mini will cost more as a result, though. Until today, the Mac mini with M4 chip cost $799 (£799 in the U.K.) for the model with 16GB memory and 256GB storage. You’ll remember that in June you could buy a Mac mini for $599, though with lower specs. It means that with today’s sticker price of $899, the cost of entry to the world of Mac mini has gone up a lot in just a couple of months, though education pricing starts at $799, £799 in the U.K. To put that in context, though, the new chip means the Mac mini has seen a two-generation jump in processor, and that processor has two more cores than either M4 or M5. Additionally, it has faster unified memory and performance improvements with the new Neural Engine. When you add it up, it may not be bad value after all. It’s not the only version of Mac mini Apple is making available to pre-order today. Until this morning, you could chip up, as they say, to the M4 Pro, with pricing starting at $1,599 (£1,599 in the U.K.) Now, the M5 Pro, which is currently found in the MacBook Pro, will be available in the Mac mini, too. There’s also a $100 or £100 price increase for this set-up, taking it to $1,699 or £1,699, with education pricing from $1,599 or £1,599.Apple Mac StudioAppleApple Mac Studio Upgraded With M5 UltraApple had another surprise up its sleeve, the new M5 Ultra processor, which is one of two new configurations for the Mac Studio. Mac Studio, which Apple calls the ultimate pro desktop, was available until today with either the M4 Max or M3 Ultra processor. Now, that’s switched to M5 Max or M5 Ultra. Apple Mac Studio M5 Ultra: Apple’s “Most Powerful Silicon Ever”The M5 Ultra is what Apple describes as its most powerful silicon ever, with Neural Accelerators in an Ultra chip for the first time. It’s enough to color-grade uncompressed 8K footage in real time, it’s claimed. Okay, Apple, we get it, it’s fast. So, how about the pricing? There’s no price increase to enter the world of Mac Studio. Like yesterday, it’s still from $2,499, (£2,499 in the U.K.), with education pricing from $2,299 or £2,299. For the M5 Ultra config, prices start at $5,499 or £5,499, which is $200 or £200 more than for the M3 Ultra but, again, it’s a two-gen step forward.Apple has launched these products in the last few days of Tim Cook’s reins as CEO. In a matter of days, the focus will shift to the iPhone 18 Pro and what it will look like, and Apple’s first foldable phone.The new Mac mini M6, Mac mini M5 Pro, Mac Studio M5 Max and Mac Studio M5 Ultra are available for pre-order immediately from apple.com and go on sale on Sept. 22, 2026.ForbesApple iPhone 18 Pro Design Latest: 4 New Colors And Updated Case StyleBy David Phelan