A Linux VPS is fine for most things. Some jobs need a real Mac.
Xcode and iOS builds only run on macOS. If your team ships to the App Store, your CI pipeline needs a Mac on the other end. Buying one, hosting it, keeping it updated, handling hardware failures — it adds up.
Apple silicon is also unusually good for local AI inference. You can run small-to-medium models on an M4 with sensible RAM without the cost of a GPU rig.
Browser automations need persistent sessions — Gmail, Google OAuth, Stripe dashboards, anything that doesn't like headless Chromium. A real logged-in desktop browser just works.
Halfpenny Mac is the middle ground: dedicated hardware, managed base image, and you do your work on top. No shared kernel, no noisy neighbours, no Mac under your desk humming at 2am.
Dedicated hardware, managed sensibly.
Dedicated mini
Your own Apple silicon Mac mini. Not shared, not virtualised, not a slice of something bigger.
Always-on
On a proper UPS, on proper internet, in a UK location. Uptime monitored; we get paged before you do.
SSH + desktop
Terminal for speed, VNC or Screen Sharing when you need to see what's happening. Your choice.
Tailscale private access
No port forwarding, no dynamic DNS faff. Join your tailnet and it's just there.
Managed base image
We keep macOS patched, Chrome current, and the plumbing stable. You don't touch what you don't want to.
Snapshot rollback
Nightly snapshot of your working config. Roll back in minutes if something goes sideways.
Built for a specific kind of user. Not for everyone.
Strong fit
- iOS / macOS teams running CI builds
- Engineers running local LLMs on Apple silicon
- Browser-automation workflows with logged-in sessions
- Indie devs who want a build server without buying one
- Agencies needing test devices with a real desktop
- Anyone who wants a Mac they can ssh into forever
Probably not you
- You want the cheapest Linux VPS on Earth
- You need root-level macOS customisation
- You want to resell access to strangers
- You're looking for a gaming rig
- You want GPU-heavy training workloads
Three tiers. No surprise invoices.
- Dedicated Mac mini
- SSH + desktop access
- Tailscale included
- Managed macOS updates
- 1 TB fair-use bandwidth
- Everything in Starter
- Nightly snapshots
- Priority support
- 2 TB bandwidth
- Root access
- Everything in Pro
- Designed for local LLMs
- 4 TB bandwidth
- Hardware refresh every 24 months
- Dedicated Slack channel
Annual billing — two months free. Agency / multi-seat pricing on request.
Four steps. Usually under 24 hours.
You sign up
Pick a tier. We invoice you. Standard UK business stuff.
We provision
Fresh macOS, Chrome, Tailscale, your SSH key. Baseline image, hardened. Usually under 24 hours.
You connect
Join your tailnet. ssh in. Or open Screen Sharing and you're on the desktop.
You get to work
Install your tools, log into your accounts, run your builds. We stay out of the way.