Simply put, Apple Silicon is brilliantly optimized for running local AI models. And the data is clear: people care about this. Mac Studio is often sold out and Mac mini is impossible to find. There are various reasons for this, including OpenClaw and other computer usage agents. But there is also a group that buys high-end Macs with incredible unified memory to run local LLM.
I’m sure Apple appreciates additional hardware sales, but I think it could push this even further by entering a segment it has ignored so far.
Apple could become a server provider
Apple had been toying with the idea of selling servers in the form of the Xserve for some time. There were also variations of the 2019 Mac Pro that fit in server racks. It is now obsolete and there is no direct replacement.
Now, more than ever, I think there’s good reason to want to use macOS as a server. It has to do with AI. People want agents who can access Apple services and Mac apps without using their computers. That’s why so many people buy the Mac mini as a headless always-on device.
I don’t know how feasible that is, but if this trend continues, I think it’s possible that Apple could get into the server business, similar to how providers like AWS operate. Customers can pay Apple a monthly fee for access to macOS and Apple Silicon in the cloud.
Apple already has some of the infrastructure in place for this using Private Cloud Compute. These servers are currently largely underutilized until Apple can prepare an Apple Intelligence model tailored for Gemini.
Either way, Apple is likely to expand further. There’s no denying that it’s profitable. More than half of Amazon’s profits come from AWS, not shopping.
summary
Apple is already a huge company, and iPhone sales show no signs of slowing down. But in the world of AI, I think renting compute on Apple Silicon servers running macOS could become a new hit if Apple wants to grow new parts of its business. This will definitely reduce the number of people buying up Mac Studio with large amounts of unified memory.
Sure, you can sell a $4,000 computer just once, or you can make $200 or more every month for as long as you need cloud computing.
With Apple CEO Tim Cook likely to step down from his position in the near future, it’s easy to imagine Apple moving forward with this idea under new leadership. Especially since John Ternus has a hardware background.
My favorite Apple accessory recommendations:
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