Apple begins shipping new Mac mini and Mac Studio with focus on on-device AI

Apple has started shipping its latest Mac mini and Mac Studio models, positioning them as cost-effective alternatives to cloud-based AI computing. The company highlights that these devices can handle intensive tasks like coding locally, eliminating the need for users to pay for tokens from providers such as OpenAI or Anthropic. Apple's hardware chief Johny Srouji emphasized the long-term value of the hardware, noting that it avoids recurring cloud costs. The new Mac Studio, powered by the M5 Ultra chip, supports up to 512GB of unified memory and can be clustered via RDMA to accelerate AI inference. Apple also noted that its chip architecture allows for seamless deployment of AI models across its product lineup, from high-end desktops to iPhone and iPad. While Apple currently holds a 4.6% share of the enterprise desktop market, it faces increasing competition from Nvidia and Windows-based PC manufacturers.