Apple introduced new Mac Mini and Mac Studio computers with faster AI-focused chips, higher entry pricing for the Mac Mini and expanded support for running large models locally.
Key Points:
- Apple’s new desktops add the M6, M5 Pro, M5 Max and M5 Ultra chips, with the first M6 Mac built on a 2-nanometer process.
- The Mac Mini now starts at $899, while Apple says an M5 Pro configuration can process large language model prompts 8.5 times faster than older Pro models.
- Mac Studio systems can be linked to pool memory, allowing M5 Ultra configurations to run trillion-parameter frontier AI models.
Apple Mac Upgrades
CNBC reported Tuesday that Apple is updating its desktop lineup as developers increasingly use Macs to build and run AI agents outside cloud infrastructure. The new Mac Mini can be configured with either the M6 or M5 Pro, while Mac Studio buyers can choose M5 Max or M5 Ultra configurations.
The M6 is Apple’s first chip from that generation to appear in a Mac and is manufactured on Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co.’s 2-nanometer process. Apple said the M5 Pro Mac Mini can process large language model prompts 8.5 times faster than older Pro versions, while the Mac Mini’s starting price rises to $899 from $799.
Mac Studio models with the M5 Max start at $2,499, unchanged from the previous entry price, while M5 Ultra systems start at $5,499, up from at least $5,299 for the prior M3 Ultra model. Presales opened Tuesday, with shipments scheduled for Sept. 22.
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Local AI Strategy
Apple is positioning its desktops as local AI development machines, particularly for developers running agents on dedicated hardware and researchers training or deploying models without relying entirely on cloud services. The company highlighted its neural engines and unified memory architecture as advantages for AI workloads.
“With these frameworks and new chips, developers can run and fine-tune large AI models locally on their Mac,” Apple said. It also said multiple M5 Ultra Mac Studio systems can be linked to pool memory and operate as one machine for trillion-parameter frontier models.
The update extends a rapid shift in Apple’s desktop lineup. The previous Mac Mini offered M4, M4 Pro and M4 Max chips, while its base price moved from $599 to $799 over the summer because of higher memory costs, then rose again to $899 with this release.
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