¿Por qué Apple está vendiendo más Mac mini y Studio que nunca?

The rapid growth of artificial intelligence (AI) in businesses has led to a surge in sales of Apple's Mac mini and Studio computers. Two weeks before the highly anticipated event showcasing the new iPhones, scheduled for September 9, Apple decided to release an update for these two models. This announcement caught the press and experts off guard, as the refresh was expected for the September keynote, and possibly even later in the summer.

However, Apple had compelling reasons to expedite the launch. According to The Information, the compact-sized Mac Mini and Studio computers, designed for professional use, experienced a significant sales increase driven by the growing corporate adoption of AI. Specifically, in the last quarter that ended in June, Mac sales grew nearly 29% year-over-year, reaching a record high of $10.4 billion, the largest increase among all product segments.

Among these, the two smaller members of Apple's computer lineup captured a substantial portion of the sales surge. Due to prolonged stock shortages, Apple opted to release the updated models earlier than planned in late August, rather than waiting for the September event, where the focus would likely be on the foldable iPhone and other mobile devices.

The increased sales of Apple's Mac Mini and Studio are attributed to the rise of AI in corporations. Although Apple reportedly did not have a corporate plan to position itself in enterprise AI, the company quickly recognized the potential in this segment. In fact, as early as June, Apple hosted a Business at the Park conference featuring executives from companies like Ford, Disney, and Anthropic.

The Mac mini was a star of the conference. Meanwhile, OpenAI reportedly purchased dozens of thousands of units of Mac mini and Studio for reinforcement learning tasks and agent training. Anthropic, on the other hand, leases Mac mini through Amazon Web Services for similar workflows. What makes the Mac mini and Mac Studio appealing to so many businesses?

One reason is cost savings. Running AI in the cloud incurs a monthly bill that increases with usage. Buying a Mac is a one-time expense - you pay once and the machine operates without additional costs. Furthermore, these Macs can handle surprisingly powerful AI models without requiring specialized graphics cards. If more power is needed, multiple Mac Studios can be connected to function as a single larger machine.

Apple promoted this feature as one of the star innovations in their latest models, specifically designed for businesses and developers. In the case of the Mini model, its small size, silence, and low energy consumption make it ideal for leaving on all day to run AI agents that automate tasks.