Mac sales decline in Q3 as customers await new models [u]
Apple's share of the worldwide PC market slipped in the third calendar quarter of 2018 as other top manufacturers reaped the benefits of a slow return to growth, according to new estimates from market research firm Gartner.
According to preliminary estimates shared by Gartner, Apple shipped 4.9 million Mac units to capture 7.3 percent of the market during the three-month period ending in September. The performance was down 8.5 percent year over year, putting the Cupertino tech giant in fourth place among the world's top PC vendors.
Apple was one of two companies to exhibit negative growth during the third quarter, likely due to a dearth of new products. The company released new 13-inch and 15-inch MacBook Pro models in July, but has yet to refresh its popular iMac all-in-one and MacBook lineups for 2018.
Lenovo and HP retained their respective first- and second-place spots, with Lenovo shipping an estimated 15.9 million units during the period for a 23.6 percent share of the market. HP shipped 14.6 million units for a 21.8 percent marketshare. Both leading players saw marketshare increases over the quarter, with Lenovo gaining 10.7 percent over its performance last year, and HP increasing its take by 6.2 percent.
Dell came in third on shipments of 10.7 million units to capture 16 percent of the market, up 5.3 percent year-over-year.
Trailing Apple was Acer, which managed 4 million units for 6.1 percent of the market, down 5.7 percent from the same time in 2017.
Gartner's estimates suggest the wider PC market is in the process of stabilizing after a more than six-year contraction. For the third quarter, worldwide shipments reached 67.2 million units, up a scant 0.1 percent year-over-year.
"The PC market continued to be driven by steady corporate PC demand, which was driven by Windows 10 PC hardware upgrades. We expect the Windows 10 upgrade cycle to continue through 2020 at which point the upgrade demand will diminish," said Mikako Kitagawa, principal analyst at Gartner. "Despite the third quarter typically showing strong consumer PC sales due to the back-to-school season, weakness in consumer PC demand continued, offsetting the strong sales in the business market."
The story was similar for the U.S. market, where Apple maintained its spot in fourth place despite a downturn in sales. The company shipped an estimated 2 million units in its domestic market, down 7.6 percent year-over-year. HP and Dell once again led the U.S., though the latter saw a 0.8 percent contraction during the quarter. Lenovo finished in third with 15.4 percent of the U.S. market, up 22.2 percent from the same time last year, while Microsoft rounded out the top-five with a 4.1 percent marketshare.
IDC also released estimates for the third quarter on Wednesday, showing nearly identical rankings -- but different shipment numbers -- for the world's five largest distributors. Apple, however, finished in fifth on IDC's charts with Mac shipments of 4.8 million units, down 11.6 percent year-over-year. According to the research firm, Apple was the only top-five vendor to exhibit negative growth during the quarter.
Updated with estimates from IDC.
According to preliminary estimates shared by Gartner, Apple shipped 4.9 million Mac units to capture 7.3 percent of the market during the three-month period ending in September. The performance was down 8.5 percent year over year, putting the Cupertino tech giant in fourth place among the world's top PC vendors.
Apple was one of two companies to exhibit negative growth during the third quarter, likely due to a dearth of new products. The company released new 13-inch and 15-inch MacBook Pro models in July, but has yet to refresh its popular iMac all-in-one and MacBook lineups for 2018.
Lenovo and HP retained their respective first- and second-place spots, with Lenovo shipping an estimated 15.9 million units during the period for a 23.6 percent share of the market. HP shipped 14.6 million units for a 21.8 percent marketshare. Both leading players saw marketshare increases over the quarter, with Lenovo gaining 10.7 percent over its performance last year, and HP increasing its take by 6.2 percent.
Dell came in third on shipments of 10.7 million units to capture 16 percent of the market, up 5.3 percent year-over-year.
Trailing Apple was Acer, which managed 4 million units for 6.1 percent of the market, down 5.7 percent from the same time in 2017.
Gartner's estimates suggest the wider PC market is in the process of stabilizing after a more than six-year contraction. For the third quarter, worldwide shipments reached 67.2 million units, up a scant 0.1 percent year-over-year.
"The PC market continued to be driven by steady corporate PC demand, which was driven by Windows 10 PC hardware upgrades. We expect the Windows 10 upgrade cycle to continue through 2020 at which point the upgrade demand will diminish," said Mikako Kitagawa, principal analyst at Gartner. "Despite the third quarter typically showing strong consumer PC sales due to the back-to-school season, weakness in consumer PC demand continued, offsetting the strong sales in the business market."
The story was similar for the U.S. market, where Apple maintained its spot in fourth place despite a downturn in sales. The company shipped an estimated 2 million units in its domestic market, down 7.6 percent year-over-year. HP and Dell once again led the U.S., though the latter saw a 0.8 percent contraction during the quarter. Lenovo finished in third with 15.4 percent of the U.S. market, up 22.2 percent from the same time last year, while Microsoft rounded out the top-five with a 4.1 percent marketshare.
IDC also released estimates for the third quarter on Wednesday, showing nearly identical rankings -- but different shipment numbers -- for the world's five largest distributors. Apple, however, finished in fifth on IDC's charts with Mac shipments of 4.8 million units, down 11.6 percent year-over-year. According to the research firm, Apple was the only top-five vendor to exhibit negative growth during the quarter.
Updated with estimates from IDC.
Comments
Also...What "decent chips" are currently out? And just because there are chips available, that doesn't mean they're chips Apple can use, or wants to use. Apple isn't in a pissing match over what is better anyways with chips and Apple doesn't just use off the shelf parts in its computers either so its not always as simple as just throw a different Intel chip inside it and call it good. If you want that all the time then either build your own PC or go get a cheap PC.
Oh don't forget about these who supposedly will never buy a Mac again, or can't wait any longer so they're gonna go get a PC or create a hackintosh crowd.
Because not all chips will work with what they want to do? Just because there's a new chip out doesn't mean it will work with Apple's designs and future products. Apple designs products years in advance with the anticipation 3rd party vendors won't drop the ball (*cough Intel*). So its not like Apple can just use a newly released chip willy nilly when its designed its product for around one that got delayed, then delayed again, then delayed again, then probably delayed yet again.
We also don't know that the Intel CPU is the major holdup on something. Perhaps it's something else as well. There's a lot that goes into releasing a new product.
Their consumer products are another matter, they’d better refresh before the holidays or the Mac business in 2018 won’t look so good.
As for enclosures, that’s just the emperor’s new clothes mentality that dogs the PC world; they claim Apple fans are shallow and then pull lines like that? Newer isn’t better, better is better.
I just wish they’d pull away from Intel in the consumer space, so the Wintel crowd stops bleating. The A12X (S12X?) should easily pass the i5-8550U & even the 2016 15” MBP in CPU/GPU performance in a fanless form-factor. More than adequate for a MacBook/Air/Mini & 21.5” iMac.
The new systems are just not useable with noisy & failing keyboards & failing displays. Missing key elements real PRO's need like USB-A ports, SDXC & Ethernet. Then the real bugaboo! Missing MagSafe!
The new i9 system is DOA! As it just can't run beyond base clock because of lack of cooling. Thats independent of the firmware issue it had day one.
Pro's want a system that work effectively, not a bling system to impress. Apple went down the Bling path with Form. They need to get back to the design that serves the real PRO market Function.
Apple has the pieces to make this work! A variation of the older Unibody 15" & 17" models which are a bit larger than the ultra thin models Apple is selling now. Which offers the needed space for a better cooling system. Give it four USB-C ports and two USB-A ports. The back two (L&R) are dual function, being a MagSafe type of connector. as well A magnet plug is inserted so you have a flat connection for the breakaway MagSafe connector, yet it's a recessed USB-C port. Take the FaceID system in the Xs iPhone instead of the iSight camera and even offer a rear facing wide angle camera for group FaceTime meetings. Leverage the T2 secure enclave storage for the primary drive (128 or 256 GB) then offer two NVMe/PCIe x4 interfaces allowing 256, 515 GB, 1, 2 & 4 TB SSD drives in either discreet or RAID setup. Give it a narrow bezel 4K screen.
The older silent! Blister keyboard and use the smaller Touch Pad so the system has a bit more room for the battery.
Now Apple build it and I will buy it!
My old iMac with the dodgy GPU has now been pulled apart five times to bake the GPU again. The last time I did it I must have done something wrong putting it back together and the CPU fan is going full speed. Too much trouble to open up again so waiting for a new iMac to come out. i have been in this situation for about eighteen months now. I would have replaced her but just can’t bring myself to do it And pay full price with the current design iMac with an outdated CPU. I can’t even begin to think how hard it would be to fix. It would be like the transition from my iMac G5 (designed to be easily diagnosed and fixable) to the first intel iMac ( an absolute dog of an internal design that made it hard to even replace the PRAM battery, just like the current design).
So this might really be it. A transition to the dark side. I hope Apple releases a redesign that means it is a bit user upgradable and can fix little things like the PRAM battery. Otherwise I will have to think about a painful separation. And divorce down the track. Once my computers switch, why not my phones?