Apple's AI Winner Isn't Siri; It's the Mac With 23.7% Revenue Growth 2026

Apple's AI winner isn't Siri—it's the Mac, which saw a 23.7% revenue jump to $10.79 billion in the July-September quarter. That's a striking statement for a product that helped birth the company but has long lived in the iPhone's shadow.

In his first earnings call as CEO, John Ternus highlighted the Mac's own "AI moment," signaling a shift in how Apple frames its artificial intelligence story.

Mac Revenue Surges 23.7% as AI Demand Kicks In

The Mac brought in $10.79 billion between July and September, up 23.7% year-over-year. The previous quarter had grown 28.7%, its fastest pace since 2021.

For context, the iPhone grew 17.5% and Services 9.8% in the same period. The Mac still accounts for just 9.4% of Apple's total revenue, but its recent momentum is undeniable.

For the full year, Mac revenue grew 12.5% versus the iPhone's 21.2%, showing that the Mac's recovery is still catching up to the iPhone's scale.

Why the Mac Is Suddenly Apple's AI Story

Apple has spent two years telling its AI story through Siri, but the hardware that actually runs local AI workloads is the Mac. Since the M1 chip, Macs have shipped with unified memory—a decision Apple made in 2020 for other reasons but that has become a major advantage with the rise of generative AI.

Unified memory allows the CPU and GPU to access the same pool of RAM, which is crucial for running large language models locally. As AI tools become more demanding, users are upgrading to Macs with more memory and powerful Apple Silicon chips.

That's why Ternus called out the Mac's "AI moment" on the earnings call. It's not just about Siri; it's about the hardware that enables on-device AI.

The Numbers Behind the Mac's Comeback

While the growth is impressive, it's important to note that the Mac is still recovering from a downturn. Its record year was 2022 with $40.18 billion, before falling 26.9% the next year.

This year's $37.93 billion is a step back toward those highs, but part of the growth is a rebound from a low base. Still, the fact that the Mac is growing faster than the iPhone in the latest quarter suggests that AI demand is providing a real tailwind.

Apple's CFO, Kevan Parekh, noted that the growth was driven by both the new MacBook Air and MacBook Pro models, as well as strong demand from education and enterprise customers.

What This Means for Apple's AI Strategy

Apple's AI strategy has been criticized for lagging behind competitors like Microsoft and Google. But the Mac's performance shows that Apple's hardware advantage—specifically its custom silicon and unified memory—is paying off. The background to this story is set out in Google Revenue Soars 12th Quarter – AI Spending Drives Growth. A related thread runs through John Ternus Takes Over as Apple CEO: What It Means for the Company. Earlier coverage in Tim Cook to Step Down, John Ternus Named New Apple CEO shows how the argument developed.

As AI models become more capable, the ability to run them locally on a Mac could be a differentiator. Apple is already promoting features like on-device processing for privacy and speed. A closer look at the same subject appears in Steve Jobs vs. John Ternus: The Porsche 911 Story at Apple. Anyone following the wider picture can start with Google Earnings Surge: 12th Consecutive Quarter of Revenue. The same theme surfaces in Google Reports 12th Straight Quarter of Strong Revenue Gains, which takes a different angle.

Investors should watch whether the Mac can sustain this growth as AI adoption accelerates. If it does, the Mac could become a bigger part of Apple's revenue mix and its AI narrative. Context on how this played out before sits in Apple CEO John Ternus Takes Stage at Annual Showcase. A companion piece, John Ternus: Apple's Next CEO and His Vision for the Future, approaches the same subject from another angle.

Key Takeaways

• Mac revenue grew 23.7% to $10.79B in Q4, outpacing iPhone growth.
• Unified memory from Apple Silicon makes Macs ideal for local AI workloads.
• New CEO John Ternus highlighted the Mac's "AI moment" on the earnings call.
• Full-year Mac growth (12.5%) still trails iPhone (21.2%), but momentum is building.
• Mac remains 9.4% of Apple's revenue, with room to grow as AI demand rises.

Mac vs. iPhone: Revenue Growth Comparison

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