Apple is growing the fastest in the PC market — +21% in 2024. But only fourth in sales

The computer industry is gradually recovering and returning to growth after several years of declining shipments. Apple is doing best in this market.

According to an IDC report, global shipments of desktops and laptops in the second quarter of 2024 increased by 3% year-on-year. This was the second consecutive quarter of growth for the PC industry after a period of decline lasting 7 quarters of bed. Ryan Wright, vice president of the IDC Group, noted that the growth was driven by a combination of two factors: market excitement around AI-oriented PCs and the commercial refresh cycle. This gave the PC market a much-needed boost.

Apple and Acer topped the ranking of manufacturers in terms of supply growth. While the industry as a whole grew by 3%, Apple boasts a 20.8% result. Acer showed a 13.7% increase in shipments. Lenovo and HP’s figures are much more modest: 3.7% and 1.8%, respectively. Dell was the only large company to experience a decline in shipments – by 2.4%.

At the same time, Lenovo and HP continue to be significantly ahead of other manufacturers in terms of total shipments. Lenovo leads the PC market, accounting for 22.7% of all shipments. HP’s share is 21.1%. Apple, which was able to increase shipments the most, ranks 4th in terms of the number of devices shipped with an 8.8% market share.

AI-oriented PCs are expected to drive a new wave of upgrades, although IDC reports that only about 3% of PCs shipped this year are optimized for AI tasks. Apple is also expected to continue to increase shipments through the integration of Apple Intelligence, enabling the company to capitalize on the growing demand for AI-optimized PCs.

Source: IDC