Used Apple device prices are rising in China. This is because more people want the OpenClaw AI tool. Jeremy Jia, who works for ATRenew, shared this news. ATRenew is a company that resells used electronics.
OpenClaw: The AI Tool Popular in China
OpenClaw is an AI agent. It can do personal tasks by itself. For example, it can send emails or shop online.
SecurityScorecard, a US cybersecurity company, says China uses OpenClaw more than the US.
This free tool can be risky for security. So, many users run it on cloud servers. Or they use separate computers. This stops the AI from changing important data, like bank details.
Record Demand for Used Mac Computers
As more people use OpenClaw, they buy used Mac computers. Jia compared this to the demand for PCs during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Because of this, ATRenew kept Apple's prices high from March to May. Prices were usually high in autumn, not spring.
Jia said a new MacBook costs about 15% more than a used one sold by ATRenew. The demand is for Mac mini computers with Apple's new chips, like M4 and M5. Users are replacing older M1 and M2 models.
Prices Expected to Keep Rising
Jia explained that people still want powerful used MacBooks. The company had to raise buying prices to get more stock.
This trend is expected to continue all year.
Big Companies Notice OpenClaw
OpenClaw was launched in November by Peter Steinberger, an Austrian developer. But the big interest in China started this month. Local tech companies, like Tencent, used the tool. This helped attract more users.
Jensen Huang said OpenClaw is the biggest, most popular, and most successful open-source project ever. He expects the need for computing power to keep raising prices for chips and used smartphones. This helps Apple devices lead the used market in China over Android phones.