Apple was surprised by AI-driven demand for Macs

Apple's Q2 earnings revealed a surprising bright spot: Mac revenue hit $8.4 billion, topping the $8 billion low-end estimate and growing 6% year-over-year despite flat expectations. Total company revenue reached $111.2 billion (up 17%), but the Mac's outperformance was notable. CEO Tim Cook attributed the growth to surging demand for running local AI models like OpenClaw—a trend that caught Apple off guard. The MacBook Neo, launched in March, saw "off the charts" demand, while the Mac mini became the top-selling desktop in China, driven by the country's OpenClaw frenzy. Apple also set a record for new-to-Mac customers, partly due to the Neo.

Demand far exceeded supply. Cook said Apple is "supply constrained on the MacBook Neo" and expects it will take "several months" to balance Mac mini and Mac Studio availability. Enterprise adoption is accelerating: companies like Perplexity are using Macs as their preferred platform for AI assistants, and school systems like Kansas City Public Schools are replacing Chromebooks with the Neo. Despite flat sequential revenue, the AI-driven demand signals a structural shift. Cook noted that this isn't a short-term problem—it reflects an underestimation of how quickly professionals and consumers would embrace Macs for on-device AI workloads.