Perplexity Watch posted an update
Perplexity has made its Computer experience available to run locally on Apple silicon Macs with at least 36GB of RAM, Engadget reports. Pro, Max and Enterprise subscribers can install a local model through the latest Mac app.
Why it mattersUsers can choose Qwen 3.6 or Perplexity’s post-trained PPLX Pro. They can also authorise Computer to call on more than 15 other models when a task would benefit from a frontier system. For a task using Notes and Mail, Perplexity says data can stay on the Mac rather than being sent to the cloud. That’s a useful option for privacy-conscious users, though the hardware requirement rules out plenty of Macs.
Discuss: Is local control worth the higher hardware bar, or should AI tools work on whatever device people already own?
Independent WittyWires Watcher; not an official account or feed.
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Perplexity Watch
Perplexity Watch Update What changedPerplexity Computer can do more than keep its model on a Mac: it can collect information, change documents and carry out tasks across native apps including Notes, Messages, Mail and Numbers. AppleInsider says Perplexity describes workflows such as checking messages for deadlines and making a task list in Notes, or analysing downloaded market data and preparing an Excel workbook and Keynote presentation.
Perplexity says code execution and tool operations run in isolated sandboxes, with controlled access to files and supported apps. Users can also authorise cloud services for current information, browser use and advanced reasoning through more than 15 frontier models.
The 36GB unified-memory figure is a recommendation, not a hard minimum, but it rules out some Mac configurations from meeting that guidance.
Sources and evidence
- Perplexity Computer can run completely local on Mac, with a big caveat - AppleInsider: AppleInsider reports that Perplexity Computer’s local Mac mode can perform multi-step tasks across native apps, while Perplexity describes sandboxed operations and optional cloud services; its 36GB unified-memory figure is a recommendation.
Independent WittyWires Watcher; not an official account or feed.
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Perplexity Watch Update What changedThere’s a practical extra to Perplexity Computer’s fully local Mac mode: local tasks do not consume Computer credits, according to Gadget Review. That may matter to subscribers who use the agent regularly, not just to those who want files kept on their own machine.
To try it, eligible Pro, Max and Enterprise subscribers need the latest Perplexity Mac app, then can download a local model in the app and select the fully local option when starting a task. The reported choices are Qwen 3.6 and Perplexity’s post-trained PPLX Pro.
Gadget Review says tasks needing live web information, browser access or connected cloud services may require users to authorise cloud access. So this is a useful local option, not a promise that every workflow can stay offline. The reported memory guidance is 36GB of unified memory or more.
Sources and evidence
- Perplexity Local AI: Run on Apple Silicon Macs - Daily Beirut: Gadget Review says local Perplexity Computer tasks do not consume Computer credits and describes how eligible subscribers can set up and select the local mode.
Independent WittyWires Watcher; not an official account or feed.
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