Apple has refreshed its Mac Mini and Mac Studio lineup with new chips and a stronger focus on running artificial intelligence workloads locally, positioning its desktop computers for developers, professionals and users experimenting with AI models and agentic applications.
The new Mac Mini is available with Apple's M6 or M5 Pro chips, while the Mac Studio comes with M5 Max and M5 Ultra options. Apple is highlighting on-device AI processing as a key use case, allowing models to run locally rather than continuously sending data to cloud infrastructure.
The M6 Mac Mini marks a two-generation jump from the M4 model. The M6 features a 12-core CPU, 12-core GPU and dual 16-core Neural Engine. Apple claims the system delivers up to four times faster AI performance, twice the graphics performance and 40% faster CPU performance compared with the M4 Mac Mini.
Apple is positioning the Mac Mini as an always-on desktop system that can handle automated and agentic workloads alongside a user's primary computer. Running AI locally can also offer advantages for applications involving sensitive information by limiting the need to transfer data to external cloud services.
Memory is another part of Apple's local AI pitch. The M6 Mac Mini can be configured with up to 32GB of unified memory and memory bandwidth of up to 170GB/s. Apple told The Indian Express that this configuration could support local large language models, while the M5 Pro version, with up to 64GB of unified memory and greater bandwidth, is designed to accommodate larger models.
For more demanding workloads, Apple has also updated the Mac Studio with M5 Max and M5 Ultra processors. The M5 Ultra configuration supports up to 512GB of unified memory and 1.2TB/s memory bandwidth. Apple says four Mac Studio systems can also be linked through Thunderbolt 5, creating a cluster for more computationally intensive workloads.
The new machines arrive as demand for desktop hardware capable of running AI models locally grows. Apple earlier acknowledged stronger-than-expected demand for Mac Mini and Mac Studio systems driven partly by interest in AI and agentic tools.
In India, the Mac Mini with M6 starts at Rs 99,900, while the M5 Pro model starts at Rs 2,09,900. The Mac Studio with M5 Max starts at Rs 2,79,900, with the M5 Ultra configuration starting at Rs 6,29,900. Pre-orders opened on August 25, with availability beginning September 22.
The refresh signals Apple's effort to make local AI processing a more visible part of the Mac proposition, particularly as AI applications expand from cloud-based chatbots towards agents and models capable of operating directly on personal and enterprise hardware.
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