Apple's New Macs: $899 to $18,299. Here's what it means for AI

Apple just released the new Mac mini (M6, from $899) and Mac Studio (M5 Max / M5 Ultra, up to 512GB of unified memory) — and they're pitching them squarely as machines for running AI locally. So let's check that pitch against reality. In this video: what launched and what it costs, which open models actually fit each memory tier (Qwen 3.8, Qwen Flash Next, DeepSeek V4 Flash, GLM-5.3 Flash, GLM-5.2, Kimi K3), the fine print nobody mentions — macOS only lets your GPU touch about 75% of the memory, and your Chrome tabs want the rest — how the prices compare to a year ago, a Mac Studio vs two NVIDIA DGX Sparks head-to-head, and the honest math on whether an $11,000 Mac beats a $200-a-month AI subscription. Short version: not in 2026. Maybe in 2027. ⏱️ Chapters 0:00 Apple just released new Macs for AI 1:11 Mac mini M6 — $899, what's new 1:56 Mac Studio M5 Max & M5 Ultra 2:54 What isn't there — the 512GB problem 3:23 Which AI models actually fit these Macs 7:41 The fine print: the 75% rule, your work apps, and heat 11:02 Prices: today vs a year ago 13:30 The global RAM crisis 14:21 Mac Studio vs 2× NVIDIA DGX Spark 16:16 Buy a Mac, or keep paying for AI? The math 20:04 Three takeaways 📹 Watch next — Qwen 3.8 27B vs Claude Opus 4.6, tested side by side:    • Local Opus 4.6 for free? I tested Qwen 3.8   The numbers in this video: • Mac mini M6 from $899 (16GB) · the useful config for local AI is 32GB at $1,299 • Mac Studio M5 Ultra from $5,499 · 96→256GB memory upgrade: +$4,000 · 512GB version: late October, price not announced • A year ago: Mac mini $599 · Mac Studio Ultra $3,999 · $9,499 bought 512GB — today it buys 256GB • Same GLM model, our estimate: ~60 tokens/sec on M5 Ultra vs ~14 on DGX Spark • $11K Mac ≈ 4.5 years of a $200/month subscription · 3× 512GB Studios ≈ $54K ≈ 22 years Some speed figures are Apple's own published testing; independent benchmarks arrive when machines ship September 22. Token-speed and 512GB-price figures are my estimates — math explained in the video. #Apple #MacStudio #LocalAI