Perplexity says its Personal Computer is coming to the Mac platform first because Macs, especially the Mac mini, are the best choice for on-premises deployment of this agent-based AI platform. During Apple’s latest quarterly earnings call, Apple Chief Financial Officer Kevan Parekh mentioned that more and more AI platforms are running on Macs and named Perplexity as using Apple Silicon and its unified memory architecture to build related capabilities.
Before Apple released its earnings report and held an analyst call, Perplexity CEO Aravind Srinivas had talked about the Mac platform at the company's Ask NYC corporate and financial event, emphasizing that its agent-based AI platform Personal Computer is a product built for Mac. Personal Computer is a version of Perplexity's "Computer" product line that performs tasks for the user through multiple intelligent agents and has deep integration with local files. Unlike the traditional cloud model, Personal Computer shifts task processing from the cloud to local devices, such as Mac mini, allowing AI to run directly on the user's computer and retrieve local data.
Because the tool runs natively, Personal Computer can access user files on your Mac mini and create or edit them as task requirements require. For Perplexity, the Mac mini was seen as one of the "best and most accessible" ways to deploy a Personal Computer, and it quickly became the vehicle of choice for home and office users to introduce Perplexity's AI systems. This model combines cloud services with local files held by users to form a hybrid architecture that not only utilizes cloud computing power but also maximizes local data and privacy control.
Perplexity says the Mac mini is one of the best ways to deploy a Personal Computer at "full capacity," especially for scenarios where AI agents need to be running continuously. As more and more work flows between iPhone and Mac, Personal Computer is positioned to "build on the continuity of experiences Apple users have become accustomed to," helping them seamlessly complete tasks across devices. This continuity is especially critical because users can tell Personal Computer on their iPhone to perform specific actions on their Mac remotely.
Since its launch in March of this year, Computer has completed work equivalent to $2.8 billion in human labor. Within Perplexity, the team also used a large number of personal computers in a "dog food test" manner, claiming to have increased the company's revenue by 5 times in the process, while only increasing the number of employees by 34%. This is seen by the company as direct proof that agent-based AI can improve productivity and control costs.
At the same event, Perplexity also announced several new developments related to Personal Computer. The Personal Computer experience will be brought to Microsoft Teams, allowing users to message Personal Computer directly or pull them into a channel to help with matters without leaving the conversation. In addition, Perplexity also launched a beta version of Computer running in Excel, which allows models and data to be presented side by side in the same interface through a native sidebar, making it easier for users to call AI capabilities in a spreadsheet environment.
On the app connection front, Perplexity is working with 1Password to enable Computer to perform actions in password-protected tools without giving the model direct access to the contents of a user's credentials. The company is also building "Workflows" capabilities that encapsulate prompt words, context and output formats into one-click starting points for specific enterprise tasks, reducing the technical preparation users need to complete before the AI can start working. The workflow library for common tasks is gradually being improved, and there are currently more than 70 available workflows. These workflows can be shared among team members, executed individually at scheduled times, customized and modified, and support asynchronous running.
Personal Computer functionality is currently available to all Perplexity Pro, Max, and Enterprise subscribers using Mac. In terms of subscription prices, the Pro version starts at $17 per month, the Max version is $167 per month, and the Enterprise version is aimed at higher-level organizational needs. For users who want to purchase a Mac mini or Mac Studio to experience this system, Apple reminds that due to strong demand and tight supply of the Mac product line, related supply shortages may continue in the coming months.