If you've been keeping an eye out for a deal on one of the latest MacBooks, you might be one of many to jump on the Apple hype bandwagon as Mac sales start to skyrocket while some PC brands are experiencing a significant year after year. year decreases. .
This comes from a Garter Global Shipping Estimates report (opens in a new tab), which states that Apple shipped approximately 7 million Macs in the first quarter of 2022, a growth of 8,6% compared to 6,5 .2022 million shipped in the first quarter of 2021. XNUMX.
"After an unprecedented rise in Chromebooks in 2020 and early 2021, fueled by demand from the US education market, Chromebook growth has moderated," said Mikako Kitagawa, research director at Gartner. .
"It was a difficult quarter for the PC and Chromebook market to achieve growth, as last year the PC market experienced its strongest growth in decades."
While Apple only ranks fourth among the most popular manufacturers, these estimates show a sharp drop in popular brands like Lenovo and HP, down 12,6% and 17,8% respectively.
1Q22 Global PC Vendor Unit Shipment Estimates Company 1Q22 Shipments 1Q22 Market Share (%) 1Q21 Shipments 1Q21 Market Share (%) 1Q22-1Q21 Growth (%) 50314.813,39316.0 ,14.1-XNUMXDespite the decline, Lenovo and HP still have a larger market share than Apple, likely thanks to both brands having budget hardware lines that are more appealing to people who need an affordable way to stay online.
Apple, on the other hand, is certainly a more 'premium' brand with the most affordable laptop in its current range being the MacBook Air (M1, 2020) which, at $999 / £999 / 1 AU$499, can be more than double the price of some from Lenovo. Offerings
Still, the popularity of Apple's in-house silicon could be at least partly responsible for the surge in shipments, with people rushing to buy products like the M14-powered 1-inch MacBook Pro shortly after its introduction last year. past.
We should also note that Dell and Asus have seen impressive growth this year, so Apple isn't the only brand basking in the sun. IDC published its own estimates on April 10 (opens in a new tab) that tell a very similar story, although the Garter and IDC reports are based on estimated shipments and do not reflect actual sales data and it is unlikely that we will get more. . accurate look at market share as Apple no longer offers unit sales for its Mac, iPhone or iPad ranges.
Analysis: what is really happening?
The release of the M1 SoC (system on a chip) has had a huge impact on the computing market. While Macs and MacBooks have always been luxury items, poor design decisions like the controversial Touch Bar and port removal have made them a tough sell in some markets.
The M1 (and the subsequent M1 Pro, M1 Max, and M1 Ultra) gave Apple hardware a phoenix-like renaissance, enough to top "best" lists just like the MacBook Air does in our own range of the best laptops on the market.
Still, these shipping estimates don't mean that Apple has claimed that market share simply by delivering great products. There are many other factors to include, such as the global chip shortage and the surge in hybrid or fully remote work and study caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.
The Western European PC market grew 42% year-over-year in 2021, which IDC said was driven by homebound consumers who need more devices at home to fit. As such, ChromeBook sales have also surged and have since begun to decline rapidly in recent months as work and school environments begin to return to pre-pandemic states.
Gaming and entertainment also likely played a role, albeit a small one, as people switched to laptops and desktops while staying indoors, which could explain why Dell and Asus, two particularly notable brands for hardware PC games have also seen an increase in sales over the last two years.
In short, there's no particular reason why Apple is doing so well in the global laptop market right now, but it's certainly not unworthy of this success.
The PC market at large will have to work hard against the power of the M1 silicon and hope that the fruit-themed brand doesn't release a truly affordable MacBook to compete in the labor and education markets, or worse yet, a gaming system powered by technology. M1. .
Via MacRumors (Opens in a new tab)