Apple Inc. saw strong performance in its latest quarter, with iPhone sales and Services revenue leading the way. However, the Mac segment quietly exceeded expectations, driven in part by rising demand for AI-related workloads.
Investors on Wall Street had projected Mac revenue to land in the low $8 billion range. Instead, Apple reported $8.4 billion in Mac revenue for the second quarter ending March 28—an impressive beat for a segment often considered secondary within the company’s broader portfolio.
Expectations had also suggested that Mac sales would remain flat year-over-year. Contrary to that outlook, Apple reported a 6% annual increase in Mac sales. Overall, the company generated $111.2 billion in total revenue, representing a 17% increase compared to the same period last year.
Apple attributed part of the Mac growth to recent product launches, including the well-received MacBook Neo. However, since preorders only began on March 4, these devices were available for a limited time within the quarter. Most shipments occurred in mid- to late March, and some demand likely carried over into April due to initial stock shortages.
Tim Cook, CEO of Apple Inc., told analysts during the company’s Q2 earnings call that demand for the MacBook Neo was “off the charts,” exceeding internal expectations. He also highlighted that Apple recorded a surge in new Mac users, partly driven by the popularity of the Neo.
Cook explained that a key factor behind the Mac’s growth is its increasing use for running local AI models, such as OpenClaw. This trend caught Apple somewhat off guard, especially as devices like the Mac mini and Mac Studio experienced strong demand and even sold out in recent weeks.
According to Cook, both machines have become highly attractive platforms for AI and emerging “agentic” tools. He noted that customer awareness and adoption of Macs for AI workloads are accelerating faster than Apple anticipated, which directly contributed to the higher-than-expected demand.
He also pointed out that the Mac mini has become the top-selling desktop in China, a market currently experiencing heightened interest in AI tools like OpenClaw, further fueling Mac sales momentum.
Despite the strong year-over-year growth, Mac revenue at Apple Inc. remained flat compared to the previous quarter, indicating that the surge in demand has not yet fully scaled.
Tim Cook noted that it could take “several months” for the company to balance supply and demand, particularly for high-demand models like the Mac mini and Mac Studio.
Tim Cook explained that the ongoing supply constraints at Apple Inc. are not due to operational issues, but rather an underestimation of demand.
> “We’re not at the point where we’re saying this constraint is going to end anytime soon… we just under-called the demand,” he said.
Beyond consumer interest, enterprise demand is also driving Mac growth. Apple noted that companies like Perplexity AI are increasingly adopting Macs as their preferred platform for developing enterprise-grade AI assistants.
Cook also revealed that Apple is currently supply-constrained on the MacBook Neo, with demand exceeding availability. In addition, some educational institutions—such as Kansas City Public Schools—are beginning to replace Chromebooks with the Neo, signaling a broader shift toward more powerful devices capable of handling modern AI-driven workloads.