AI Summary
5 min readThe M6 chip is here, and it arrived not in an iPad but in a Mac Mini. That launch, combined with a reflective look back at the M1 iPad Pro, frames a conversation about where Apple Silicon is going and how far it has already come. The central question is whether the M6 will matter for iPads the way the M1 did, and what the next generation of iPad hardware should look like.
The M6 Chip: A Preview for Future iPads
The M6 chip made its debut in the new Mac Mini, marking the first time a two-nanometer chip has shipped in a consumer device. The architecture introduces a three-tier CPU core structure: supercores, performance cores, and efficiency cores. The M5 had already added the supercore tier, but the M6 adds two more GPU cores for a total of twelve, and Apple claims a 30% increase in GPU compute for AI tasks compared to the M5. The GPU also gains updates to the shader core architecture, dynamic caching, hardware-accelerated ray tracing, and a 50% increase in geometry rates.
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What you'll learn
- 1 (00:41) **Introducing Riley and the M6 Chip Announcement** - The conversation begins with Riley discussing the surprise announcement of the M6 chip in the new Mac Mini and Mac Studio.
- 2 (09:01) **M6 Chip Technical Specs and Performance** - Riley breaks down the M6’s core architecture, GPU improvements, and performance gains over the M5.
- 3 (13:45) **GPU and AI Enhancements** - Riley explains the M6’s GPU upgrades, including improved shader cores, dynamic caching, and hardware-accelerated ray tracing.
- 4 (15:26) **RAM and Storage Configurations** - The discussion shifts to memory options, including the base 16GB RAM standard and hopes for the iPad Pro.
- 5 (18:12) **Price Increases and Personal Upgrade Plans** - Tim and Riley discuss the rising costs of Macs and iPads, and Riley’s hesitation to upgrade due to financial constraints.
- 6 (39:18) **The M1 iPad Pro in 2026: A Retrospective** - Riley introduces his article and video celebrating the M1 iPad Pro’s longevity and impact, five years after its launch.
- 7 (42:16) **Comparing the M1 iPad Pro to the M1 MacBook Air** - Riley contrasts the M1 iPad Pro’s reception with the M1 MacBook Air, which is often celebrated as a breakthrough.
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Show Notes
Riley Hill and Tim Chaten discuss the new M6 chip and how the M1 iPad Pro holds up in 2026.
Early episodes are available by supporting the podcast at www.patreon.com/ipadpros.
Early episodes are also now available in Apple Podcasts!
Show notes are available at www.iPadPros.net. Feedback is welcomed at [email protected].
Links:
- https://slatepad.org/2026/08/23/is-m1-ipad-pro-still-good-2026/
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