Why Apple silicon
The right chip for a surprising range of workloads.
Apple silicon isn't just fast — it's architecturally different from x86 servers in ways that matter for specific workloads:
- Unified memory — CPU and GPU share the same RAM pool, so a 24GB machine can load models that would need a dedicated GPU on x86
- Neural Engine — 16-core dedicated ML accelerator, separate from the CPU and GPU
- Power efficiency — a Mac mini draws 5–15W at idle. You can run one 24/7 for pennies in electricity
- macOS only — Xcode, Core ML, Metal, and the entire Apple development ecosystem only runs here
For iOS builds, local AI inference, and always-on automation, Apple silicon hits a price-performance sweet spot that x86 cloud instances can't match.
How it works
Sign up, get a Mac, start working.
Halfpenny Mac isn't a virtualisation platform. You get a real, physical Mac mini — dedicated to you, running macOS natively.
- Sign up and choose a tier (Budget M1, Starter M2, Pro M4, or Max M4 Pro)
- We provision your machine — typically within 24 hours
- Connect via Tailscale — SSH and VNC access over a private, encrypted network
- Use it however you want — full root access, install anything, run anything
We handle hardware, monitoring, backups, and connectivity. You focus on your work.
Ready to get started?
Sign up and we'll have your Mac mini provisioned and online within 24 hours. No contracts, cancel anytime.