Apple’s iPhone sales and Services revenue were highlights in the company’s latest quarter, but the Mac surpassed expectations due to increased demand for AI workloads.
Wall Street anticipated Mac revenue to be in the low $8 billion range, yet Apple reported $8.4 billion in the second quarter ending March 28, surpassing forecasts for this non-core segment. Analysts expected flat year-over-year Mac sales, but sales were up 6%. Overall, Apple’s total revenue was $111.2 billion, a 17% increase from the prior year.
Apple attributed some Mac growth to recent product launches, particularly the popular MacBook Neo. Though available only weeks after March 4 preorders, most units shipped by late March, with some demand extending into April due to sellouts.
Apple CEO Tim Cook stated that Neo demand exceeded expectations, contributing to a record number of new Mac customers. Cook noted the Mac growth was partly due to the platform’s use for running local AI models like OpenClaw, resulting in sold-out Mac mini and Mac Studio devices.
“These platforms are ideal for AI tools, and customer awareness is accelerating faster than anticipated, leading to higher demand,” Cook commented. The Mac mini became the top-selling desktop in China amid an OpenClaw craze.
Mac revenue remained flat quarter-over-quarter, indicating demand might not have scaled significantly. Cook estimated that achieving supply-demand equilibrium for the Mac mini and Studio models may take “several months.”
“We’re not at the end of this constraint yet, which isn’t due to a problem but because we underestimated demand,” Cook stated.
Enterprise interest contributed to Mac sales, with major companies like Perplexity choosing Mac for AI assistants. Apple also experienced supply constraints on the MacBook Neo, with school systems such as Kansas City Public Schools opting for it over Chromebooks.