Apple’s investment in the Mac is paying off with significant sales growth in the last quarter of 2024. In contrast, Dell and HP saw their market share fall. While the other two players in the top five, Lenovo and ASUS, saw sales growth Apple surged.
IDC’s market data reveals Apple’s fourth quarter sales for 2024 reached 7 million units. No doubt, the new Mac mini pushed that along, proving to be an extremely popular choice for upgraders and switchers alike. And the MacBook Pro and iMac were both refreshed during the back half of 2024, further buoying sales.
With Dell’s sales sitting steady, supported by the corporate sector which has had a long love of the PC maker, below 10 million units for the quarter, Apple must be thinking the Number Three slot is within reach in the next year or two. And given Dell has shamelessly copied Apple’s product nomenclature, the market might be wondering if Dell has begun a slow circle of the drain.
When we look beyond the fourth quarter of 2024 to the full year, Apple’s overall market share and shipments both grew. Again, HP and Dell declined on their 2023 performance.
The real powerhouse of the market is Lenovo. The Chinese computing giant, that purchased the IBM PC business 20 years ago, continues to be the strongest player in the market with almost one of four computers purchased coming from that company. IDC doesn’t break those figures up geographically or by vertical but I’d expect Lenovo to be a dominant player in Asia and with enterprises.
With Apple Intelligence continuing to move ahead despite some challenges, we can expect a further boost to sales. Intel-based Macs are nearing vintage and obsolete status, which will drive a push towards M-series Macs. And as Apple Intelligence continues to develop, early M1-powered Macs with just 8GB of memory may be found wanting for those wanting to use Apple’s new AI platform.
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.