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Apple won the PC market’s worst quarter, but that’s not the entire story. It won the race by stumbling less than everyone else.
PC makers shipped just 57 million computers worldwide in Q3, which might look good, but it’s a 21% year-over-year plunge (via Counterpoint Research). And despite Apple’s Mac shipments falling by 11%, to 5.6 million, its market share rose from 8.7% to 9.8%. How did that happen?
How does Apple win while selling fewer Macs?
It’s not like the company didn’t feel the heat; it just faced less of it than the rest of the market. Picture the PC market as a pie that shrank 21%. Apple’s slice, meanwhile, shrank only 11%. Basically, the company now owns a bigger share of a smaller pie.
Counterpoint credits the MacBook Neo for softening the drop. For those catching up, Apple launched the Neo in March as its most affordable laptop, with a starting price of $599. Even though Apple raised the price to $699 in June, it still sits $600 below the latest MacBook Air.
That makes the Neo a no-brainer for buyers who already own an iPhone or other Apple products and want a simple, no-nonsense laptop for everyday digital chores. Although the research firm didn’t share any Neo-specific numbers, the explanation seems plausible.
What’s up with the global PC market anyway?
Lenovo, the market leader with a 26.3% share, also saw global shipments drop 23% from the previous year. Meanwhile, HP and Dell fell more sharply, down 31% and 25%, respectively. Only Asus, whose shipments fell by a modest 7%, outperformed Apple, which fell 11%.
The entire market is sagging because of the ongoing memory crisis, and things might not get better anytime soon. Higher prices for memory, storage, and other components are pushing PC prices up, prompting shoppers to delay replacements or explore the second-hand market.
Worse, shipments could fall another 27% in the fourth quarter and stay around those levels through 2027. Experts also expect the memory crisis to persist through 2027.
In simpler terms, laptop prices might soar over the next few months before stabilizing toward the end of 2027. If you already own a machine, get it serviced and take good care of it. If you’re looking to buy a new one, keep an eye out for good deals during Black Friday and the holiday shopping season.
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