Perplexity's $700 Bet: A New Kind of Computer for the AI Age

Perplexity, the AI search firm known for taking on Google, is now selling a computer. The company just unveiled the Comet, a $699 desktop machine built not for you, but for your AI assistants. It’s a wager that the next era of computing will be defined by machines that act, not just react.

The compact device, about the size of a Mac Mini, runs a custom operating system called Comet OS. It’s designed as a home base for AI agents—software that can autonomously handle research, manage schedules, book travel, or compile reports. The idea is to move beyond an app-filled screen to a single command bar where you state a goal and let the machine figure out the steps.

Under the hood, a Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite chip allows some AI work to happen locally on the device, a design choice aimed at speeding up responses and keeping sensitive tasks private. It comes with 32GB of RAM and 1TB of storage.

The move pits the young company against giants like Apple and Microsoft, who are baking AI into their existing systems. Perplexity’s argument is that a machine built from the ground up for autonomous agents will outperform general-purpose computers with AI features added on. The Comet includes a year of Perplexity Pro, its $20/month service; after that, the subscription is required for full functionality.

Success is far from guaranteed. Consumers must trust the device with deep access to emails, calendars, and accounts. Perplexity says it has built in hardware security and user controls, but the company’s own history with content sourcing has drawn scrutiny. The Comet must also prove it’s more than a niche gadget for tech enthusiasts, offering a tangible advantage over the AI tools already flooding phones and laptops.

Shipping begins in the coming months. Whether it finds a market or not, the Comet makes one thing clear: the race to build a computer that works for you, not just with you, is officially on.