{
  "id": 9147365,
  "title": "Apple, armed with new Macs, is taking on Microsoft and Nvidia in a rush to lower AI costs",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/22/apple-armed-with-new-macs-is-taking-on-microsoft-and-nvidia-in-a-rush",
  "topic": "tech",
  "section": "Tech",
  "published": "2026-09-22T13:28:19.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Business Times - Companies & Markets",
    "slug": "the-business-times-companies-markets",
    "url": "https://www.businesstimes.com.sg/companies-markets/telcos-media-tech/apple-armed-new-macs-taking-microsoft-and-nvidia-rush-lower-ai-costs"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "When Apple unveils its new Macs on Tuesday (Sep 22), the tech giant will boldly claim that its on-device artificial intelligence models are more cost-effective than renting data centers. The upgraded Mac Minis and Mac Studios, priced near US$20,000, will face off against new desktop machines from Nvidia and PC manufacturers, set to be unveiled at a Microsoft Windows event in October. These powerful Macs are designed to handle complex AI tasks such as coding and intricate business operations without the hefty price tag of \"tokens\" – the unit of AI computing – typically procured from cloud providers like OpenAI or Anthropic. Apple's expertise in squeezing performance out of portable devices like iPhones is expected to give it an edge in this competition. However, the challenge is significant: Apple holds only about 4.6% of the enterprise desktop market, compared to Microsoft's dominant 91.3%, according to IDC's Linn Huang. Apple co-founder Steve Jobs was known for his ambivalence towards enterprise computing, as users couldn't select their preferred products. Yet, Apple finds itself in a strong position for AI desktops, thanks to its focus on power efficiency. In 2020, Apple's first Apple Silicon chips combined computing and memory into a unified architecture, improving battery life while also benefiting AI performance. Apple's Mac Minis sold out quickly after OpenClaw, an open-source agentic AI tool, gained traction in markets like China. Mac Studios, initially aimed at video and music editing, have secretly incorporated advanced AI features, including chip-to-chip networking called RDMA over Thunderbolt. At its September launch, Apple demonstrated four Mac Studios working together to run an AI model with a trillion parameters - a measure of complexity - to identify and fix a graphics coding bug. Typically, such tasks would require a data center, but the entire stack runs off a single wall outlet. Johny Srouji, Apple's chief hardware officer, emphasized that once the machine is on your desk, the cost is already covered, and Apple offers exceptional value in terms of performance and cost. \"There's no cost per token – you're just using the machine again and again,\" he stated. Microsoft is also targeting this market, aiming to integrate many of its AI features into a \"super app\" for Windows under CEO Satya Nadella's guidance. Nadella has called on-device AI \"unmetered intelligence.\" Microsoft plans to collaborate with various chip partners to optimize AI work on its Windows platform, with RDMA being an area of active investment. Nvidia declined to comment on direct competition with Apple, but CEO Jensen Huang previously downplayed any intention to compete with Apple, focusing instead on expanding what Windows PCs can achieve. Apple's strategy hinges on the idea that AI models developed on its devices can scale from its most expensive Mac Studios to its more affordable iPhones and iPads, thanks to shared design principles across its chip products. Srouji believes Apple offers a range of products to suit different customer needs, allowing them to choose the right computer for their specific requirements.",
  "summary": "The iPhone maker is pitching the scalability of on-device artificial intelligence models",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Economic Times Tech",
        "title": "With new Macs, Apple aims to take on Microsoft, Nvidia in a rush to lower AI costs",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/22/with-new-macs-apple-aims-to-take-on-microsoft-nvidia-in-a-rush-to",
        "published": "2026-09-22T13:23:31.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}