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TechFading · day 3

Apple pitches new Macs as cheaper than cloud AI, challenging Microsoft and Nvidia

Upgraded Mac Studios and Mac Minis begin shipping as Apple courts corporate buyers with on-device AI that avoids per-token cloud costs.

newest coverage 13h agosummary written 1d ago8 pieces NewswiresGoogle NewsReddit

What to know

  • Apple is marketing its redesigned Mac Studios and Mac Minis to enterprise buyers as a way to avoid ongoing per-token cloud AI costs from providers like OpenAI and Anthropic.
  • Apple's unified memory architecture, developed for battery efficiency in devices like the iPhone, has turned out to give Macs an edge in AI workloads that Nvidia and others are only now adopting.
  • Apple faces a steep uphill climb: it holds about 4.6% of the enterprise desktop market compared with Windows' 91.3%, per IDC.
  • Microsoft and Nvidia are each pursuing their own on-device AI strategies rather than directly conceding ground, with Microsoft citing chip-partner collaboration and Nvidia's CEO downplaying rivalry with Apple.

“Once you have the machine on your desk, you've paid for it. And I believe we provide absolutely great value, not only in terms of performance, but cost.”

Johny Srouji, Apple chief hardware officer · Reuters ↗ · Sep 20

Johny Srouji Apple chief hardware officerSatya NadellaSatya Nadella Microsoft CEOJensen HuangJensen Huang Nvidia CEOLinn Huang IDC analyst

Apple pitches new Macs as cheaper than cloud AI, challenging Microsoft and Nvidia
Investing.com News

How it unfolded 2 developments, newest first · click a bar or a number to jump articlesposts

Peak 2 pieces in one hour at Sep 22, 8 AM; 8 pieces over 3 days (7 articles · 1 post) Sep 21, 9 AM — 1 piece · 1 article — Google News 1Sep 21, 10 AM — quietSep 21, 11 AM — quietSep 21, 12 PM — quietSep 21, 1 PM — quietSep 21, 2 PM — quietSep 21, 3 PM — quietSep 21, 4 PM — quietSep 21, 5 PM — quietSep 21, 6 PM — quietSep 21, 7 PM — quietSep 21, 8 PM — quietSep 21, 9 PM — quietSep 21, 10 PM — quietSep 21, 11 PM — quietSep 22, 12 AM — quietSep 22, 1 AM — quietSep 22, 2 AM — quietSep 22, 3 AM — quietSep 22, 4 AM — quietSep 22, 5 AM — quietSep 22, 6 AM — quietSep 22, 7 AM — quietSep 22, 8 AM — 2 pieces · 2 articles — Google News 2Sep 22, 9 AM — 2 pieces · 2 articles — Google News 1, Newswires 1Sep 22, 10 AM — quietSep 22, 11 AM — quietSep 22, 12 PM — quietSep 22, 1 PM — quietSep 22, 2 PM — quietSep 22, 3 PM — 1 piece · 1 article — Google News 1Sep 22, 4 PM — quietSep 22, 5 PM — quietSep 22, 6 PM — 1 piece · 1 post — Reddit 1Sep 22, 7 PM — quietSep 22, 8 PM — quietSep 22, 9 PM — quietSep 22, 10 PM — quietSep 22, 11 PM — quietYesterday, 12 AM — quietYesterday, 1 AM — quietYesterday, 2 AM — quietYesterday, 3 AM — quietYesterday, 4 AM — quietYesterday, 5 AM — quietYesterday, 6 AM — quietYesterday, 7 AM — quietYesterday, 8 AM — quietYesterday, 9 AM — quietYesterday, 10 AM — quietYesterday, 11 AM — quietYesterday, 12 PM — 1 piece · 1 article — Google News 1Yesterday, 1 PM — quietYesterday, 2 PM — quietYesterday, 3 PM — quietYesterday, 4 PM — quietYesterday, 5 PM — quietYesterday, 6 PM — quietYesterday, 7 PM — quietYesterday, 8 PM — quietYesterday, 9 PM — quietYesterday, 10 PM — quietYesterday, 11 PM — quietToday, 12 AM — quietToday, 1 AM — quiet ◂ 1 earlier2
Sep 22yesterdaynow · 2:02 AM ET
  1. 2

    Microsoft and Nvidia respond to Apple's AI-desktop push

    Microsoft said it is working with chip partners on Windows ML tools and continued investment in features like RDMA, while Nvidia declined to comment; Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang had earlier downplayed competing directly with Apple, saying Nvidia is focused on expanding what Windows PCs can do.

    “unmetered intelligence…”
    — Satya Nadella
    1. 5 outlets Apple Takes Aim at Nvidia’s AI Economics: New Macs Have ‘No Cost per Token,’ Hardware Chief Says

      first by finance.yahoo.com, 1d ago · also Investing.com News, Yahoo! Finance Canada, Yahoo Finance, Reuters

      1 more headline
  2. background

    New Mac Studios and Mac Minis begin shipping — Apple's upgraded Mac Minis and Mac Studios, some costing nearly $20,000, started shipping Tuesday, positioned to handle demanding AI tasks such as coding locally rather than through cloud token-based services.

  3. 1

    Reuters details Apple's enterprise AI strategy against Microsoft and Nvidia

    Reuters reported that Apple executives are pitching the new Macs to corporate buyers as cheaper than renting data centers, leveraging Apple Silicon's unified memory architecture, even though Apple holds only 4.6% of the enterprise desktop market versus Windows' 91.3%, per IDC's Linn Huang.

    “There's no cost per token. You're just using the machine again and again.”
    — Johny Srouji
    1. 1 outlet Apple Targets Microsoft and Nvidia with New AI-Driven Mac Computers

      first by Global Banking & Finance Review, 1d ago

  4. background

    Apple demos four networked Mac Studios running a trillion-parameter AI model — At its launch event this month, Apple showed four Mac Studios strung together using chip-to-chip RDMA-over-Thunderbolt networking to run a trillion-parameter AI model that found and fixed a graphics coding bug, a task normally requiring a data center.