Azeem Azhar's Exponential View Why I changed my mind about Apple and AI
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Mar 18, 2026 A rethink of Apple’s place in AI, tracing how Mac Mini demand and OpenClaw use shifted perceptions. Discussion of China’s rapid agent adoption and Perplexity’s Mac Mini product. Exploration of Apple’s hardware, privacy enclaves and App Store as capture points. Examination of on-device models, hybrid device-cloud setups, and why ‘good enough’ local inference wins for sensitive daily tasks.
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OpenClaw Usage Caused My Mac Mini To Struggle
- Azeem describes his OpenClaw experiments overwhelming a small Mac Mini and prompting him to buy another to restore home services like CCTV and Rune audio.
- He notes wider shortages and Tom's Hardware reporting an OpenClaw-driven Mac Mini buying frenzy.
China's OpenClaw Rush With Tencent And Local Grants
- Azeem highlights China going 'OpenClaw crazy' with Tencent installing OpenClaw publicly and local governments subsidizing AI agent deployments.
- He cites Tencent launching three agent products and provinces offering grants to attract individual AI developers.
Perplexity Personal Computer Runs On Mac Mini
- Perplexity launched a persistent AI product called the Perplexity Personal Computer that runs 24/7 on a Mac Mini and costs about $200/month.
- Azeem points to this as an example of an AI operating system using Mac Minis as the local substrate.