Apple may not sell the most computers – that distinction goes to Lenovo – but it was the only computer maker in the top five to see sales growth according to a report by IDC. Not only did Apple increase the number of Macs it sold during the third quarter of this year, compared to the same period last year, but it also boast the highest margins making it, likely the most profitable computer maker.
Top 5 Companies, Worldwide Traditional PC Shipments, Market Share, and Year-Over-Year Growth, Q3 2022 (Preliminary results, shipments are in thousands of units)
| Company | 3Q22 Shipments | 3Q22 Market Share | 3Q22/3Q21 Growth |
| 1. Lenovo | 16,880 | 22.7% | -16.1% |
| 2. HP Inc. | 12,706 | 17.1% | -27.8% |
| 3. Dell Technologies | 11,963 | 16.1% | -21.2% |
| 4. Apple | 10,060 | 13.5% | 40.2% |
| 5. ASUS | 5,540 | 7.5% | -7.8% |
| Others | 17,103 | 23.0% | -19.4% |
| Total | 74,252 | 100.0% | -15.0% |
One of the main factors behind the Mac’s growth is demand created by product shortages during the third quarter of last year. Supply shortages in China meant Mac sales were slowed at the time, creating increased demand this year. And it’s also likely, although IDC doesn’t comment on it, that the release of new models with Apple Silicon has driven a new wave of upgrades. But those product shortages affected the entire market with the result being more people purchasing higher-cost devices.
This increase in Average Selling Price (ASP) has slowed however. And IDC sees this as a sign of a declining market as buyers return to lower cost devices. As Apple doesn’t really target the lower end of the market – the cheapest Mac costs more than the market ASP – this strongly points to Apple also enjoying higher margins than its competitors.
Anthony is the founder of Australian Apple News. He is a long-time Apple user and former editor of Australian Macworld. He has contributed to many technology magazines and newspapers as well as appearing regularly on radio and occasionally on TV.