A surge in demand for the OpenClaw artificial intelligence tool in China is significantly impacting the market for secondhand MacBooks, according to Jeremy Ji, chief strategy officer and general manager of international business at ATRenew, a major used consumer electronics buyer and reseller working with Apple and JD.com in mainland China [1]. OpenClaw, an AI agent capable of autonomously conducting personal tasks such as sending emails and shopping online, has seen usage in China outstrip that in the U.S., as reported by American cybersecurity firm SecurityScorecard [1].
The software's security risks have prompted many users to run OpenClaw on separate cloud servers or laptops, rather than their primary devices, fueling demand for preowned computers. Ji likened this surge to the pandemic era, when increased remote work drove up purchases of personal computing devices [1]. As a result, ATRenew is maintaining Apple product prices at levels typically seen during the peak fall season around new iPhone releases, rather than the usual spring price drop [1]. Ji noted that new MacBooks are generally priced 15% higher than used ones sold through ATRenew [1].
Apple's self-developed chips, including the latest M5, are more power-efficient than those in Windows systems, making Mac devices—especially the Mac Mini—popular among early OpenClaw adopters [1]. ATRenew is seeing customers trade in older MacBooks with M1 and M2 chips for newer models with M4 or M5 chips, and has had to increase its buyback prices to boost supply of secondhand Macs [1]. Consumer interest in powerful secondhand MacBooks remains strong, and Ji predicts this trend could persist throughout the year [1].
OpenClaw was launched by Austrian developer Peter Steinberger in November, but the latest wave of interest in China began early this month, spurred by Tencent and other Chinese tech companies leveraging OpenClaw to attract users [1]. While ATRenew declined to share exact MacBook volumes handled since late February, Ji stated the company processed an average of 100,000 devices per day last year and expects the share of MacBook and other laptop devices to grow [1].
CONCLUSION
The rapid adoption of OpenClaw in China is driving up prices and demand for secondhand MacBooks, particularly models with newer Apple chips. ATRenew is responding by maintaining higher prices and increasing buyback rates to meet supply needs. This trend is expected to continue throughout the year, signaling sustained market momentum for Apple devices in the Chinese resale market.