Apple Grabs Record US PC Market Share On Strong Mac Sales in Q3 2014

As forecasted, the third calendar quarter of 2014 was a stellar quarter for Mac shipments, with Apple gaining ground on its competitors in the US. According to IDC's quarterly PC tracker (via Re/code), Apple reached its highest PC market share ever reported, a metric that accounts only for Mac shipments and does not include the iPad.

The company gained ground with 13.4 percent of the US PC market, edging out Lenovo (10.7 percent) to grab the number three spot behind HP (27.7 percent) and Dell (24 percent). Shipments in the US climbed to more than 2.26 million in the third calendar quarter of 2014.

idc-worldwide-q32014
Globally, Apple's market share climbed 5.7 percent year over year, with the company selling a record-breaking 5.5 million units in the just ending quarter. Apple now sits in the number five spot when it comes to global PC shipments, behind Lenovo, HP, Dell and Acer.

Apple refreshed its MacBook Air and Retina MacBook Pro earlier this year with updated processors and other minor improvements. The company also dropped prices on some models and heavily promoted the desktops during the back-to-school season with a $100 gift card along with a discounted purchase price for both students and educators.

Next year may see even stronger Mac sales as Apple prepares to update its Mac lineup with Intel's Broadwell processors. A 12-inch MacBook with an ultra thin chassis, a Retina display, and an Intel Core M chip may be one of the first Broadwell machines to ship in the new year.

Popular Stories

maxresdefault

Apple Shows Off a Key Reason to Upgrade to the iPhone 17

Saturday February 7, 2026 9:26 am PST by
Apple today shared an ad that shows how the upgraded Center Stage front camera on the latest iPhones improves the process of taking a group selfie. "Watch how the new front facing camera on iPhone 17 Pro takes group selfies that automatically expand and rotate as more people come into frame," says Apple. While the ad is focused on the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max, the regular iPhone...
Finder Siri Feature

Why Apple's iOS 26.4 Siri Upgrade Will Be Bigger Than Originally Promised

Friday February 6, 2026 3:06 pm PST by
In the iOS 26.4 update that's coming this spring, Apple will introduce a new version of Siri that's going to overhaul how we interact with the personal assistant and what it's able to do. The iOS 26.4 version of Siri won't work like ChatGPT or Claude, but it will rely on large language models (LLMs) and has been updated from the ground up. Upgraded Architecture The next-generation...
wwdc sans text feature

Apple Rumored to Announce New Product on February 19

Thursday February 5, 2026 12:22 pm PST by
Apple plans to announce the iPhone 17e on Thursday, February 19, according to Macwelt, the German equivalent of Macworld. The report, citing industry sources, is available in English on Macworld. Apple announced the iPhone 16e on Wednesday, February 19 last year, so the iPhone 17e would be unveiled exactly one year later if this rumor is accurate. It is quite uncommon for Apple to unveil...
apple wallet drivers license feature iPhone 15 pro

Apple Says These 7 U.S. States Plan to Offer iPhone Driver's Licenses

Monday February 9, 2026 6:24 am PST by
In select U.S. states, residents can add their driver's license or state ID to the Apple Wallet app on the iPhone and Apple Watch, and then use it to display proof of identity or age at select airports and businesses, and in select apps. The feature is currently available in 13 U.S. states and Puerto Rico, and it is expected to launch in at least seven more in the future. To set up the...
14 inch MacBook Pro Keyboard

New MacBook Pros Could Now Arrive in March

Sunday February 8, 2026 6:02 am PST by
New MacBook Pro models with the M5 Pro and M5 Max chips could arrive as soon as Monday, March 2, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. In today's "Power On" newsletter, Gurman said that the release of new MacBook Pro models is tied to the release of macOS Tahoe 26.3. The launch is said to be slated for as early as the week of March 2. He added that the M4 Pro and M4 Max models on sale today...

Top Rated Comments

blunti Avatar
147 months ago
Post PC era my ass...
Score: 18 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Bubba Satori Avatar
147 months ago
Is there a way Apple can catch up past the others?

Yes, when they sell more than 5 models of computers, allow more BTO customization, use high performance desktop components in desktops, make an affordable tower and don't r*** customers on upgrades and planned non-upgradable obsolescence.

But they won't because sky high margins are more important than volume, full model category coverage and affordability for customers.

It's a plan that has worked well for Apple and there is no reason for them to change.
Score: 16 Votes (Like | Disagree)
nepalisherpa Avatar
147 months ago
Is there a way Apple can catch up past the others?
The only ways Apple can catch up with others are by coming up with cheaper options and getting Corporate acceptance.
Score: 16 Votes (Like | Disagree)
AlecZ Avatar
147 months ago
Post PC era my ass...
Seriously, if I were to look at tablet vs PC usage in college, it would look like the future generations are NOT using tablets. Every single person has a PC. They're not going away, and it's a good thing because tablets suck.
Score: 15 Votes (Like | Disagree)
gnasher729 Avatar
147 months ago
Is there a way Apple can catch up past the others?

Yes, but it's not what Apple wants to do.

These lists count how many computers are sold. Whether the computer is £200 or £2,000 doesn't make a difference, it's one computer. The new Retina iMac starts at £1,999 ($2,499). Apple isn't going to sell gazillions of them. But someone else selling £200 computers must sell ten for every Retina iMac to make the same revenue.

Apple could easily build cheaper computers and sell lots of them. So what good would that do them? None at all.
Score: 15 Votes (Like | Disagree)
RockSpider Avatar
147 months ago
Marketshare doesn't matter remember? It's profits :)
When Apples market share goes down it doesn't matter, when it goes up it's party time.
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)