On Tuesday, Apple introduced two new processors designed to power its Mac Mini and Mac Studio models. The M5 Ultra, hailed as Apple's most powerful chip ever, combines two dual-die M5 Max chips into a quad-die design, capable of handling intensive AI tasks such as complex 3D rendering and visual effects.

Meanwhile, the M6 chip is geared towards everyday users, offering improvements in energy efficiency and peak GPU compute for AI compared to its predecessor, the M5. This means faster prompt processing when using on-device LLMs (large language models).

The new chips come as Apple trails behind competitors in building proprietary AI models, with Siri's upgrade being powered by Google's Gemini. However, Apple's focus on secure on-device technology could set it apart, offering a privacy-conscious environment for developers to experiment with new AI tools.

The Mac Mini devices featuring these new chips are now available for preorder at £685 (starting price), with expected shipping after September 22. Whether this marks a significant step or just a small leap forward remains to be seen, but it's clear Apple is making waves in the tech world once again.