Developers can now use the cloud-based M4 Mac mini and M4 Pro Mac through MacWeb, a Silicon Valley cloud service provider. As specified in the press releasethere are three possible configurations, depending on your needs.
An offer for specific uses
MacWeb presented three offers around the new Mac mini, equipped with Apple’s M4 and M4 Pro chips. These machines are available for rental and meet needs ranging from basic development to sophisticated AI modeling, providing a cost-effective and scalable alternative to purchasing hardware. Pricing for a new Mac mini 2024 starts at $599 for the base M4 model (€699 in France), going up to €2,569 for the top-of-the-line M4 Pro with 64GB of unified memory and an 14-core CPU hearts.
Here are the available configurations:
- MacWeb Base M4 : Perfect for providing a remote virtual desktop and priced at $99/month, there is a Mac mini which offers a commendable solution for small to medium businesses, schools and universities.
- MacWeb Power M4 Pro : Ideal for labor-intensive workloads as well as demanding development and application testing, it delivers a significant performance boost for faster build times and improved productivity. Priced at $199/month, this Mac mini cloud service uses the M4 Pro processor with a 12-core processor and 24 unified memories.
- MacWeb Ultimate M4 Pro: Built for mission-critical production applications and AI models, it delivers unmatched performance and robust storage for the most demanding tasks. Priced at $299/month, this Mac mini cloud service offers a 14-core CPU, 20-core GPU, and 64 unified memories.
MacWeb highlights the networking capabilities of its M4 Pro models, notably with Thunderbolt 5, which provides 80 Gbps of bidirectional bandwidth. It’s up to 800% faster than 10G Ethernet, making it easier to group Mac minis together for tasks like distributed computing, video editing, and large-scale software testing.
Of course, not everyone is interested in renting a Mac mini, but small businesses or developers with occasional needs are the preferred targets.
While companies like AWS offer similar services, MacWeb tries to stay ahead by offering the latest Apple computers, similar to what its competitor MacStadium does. Besides, if you want to pay less, there are offers on M2 Mac minis in the cloud.
