Mac Sales Continue to Slide Amid Lack of Updates

Amid a continuing decline in worldwide PC shipments, Apple is also experiencing a decline according to new PC shipping estimates from Gartner. During the third quarter of 2016, Apple shipped an estimated 5 million Macs, down from 5.7 million in the year-ago quarter for a 13.4 percent decline in growth.

Apple's 3Q 2016 market share comes in at 6.7 percent, down from 7.3 percent in 3Q 2015, securing the company's position as the number five worldwide PC vendor after Lenovo, HP, Dell, and Asus. While top PC vendor Lenovo saw a small drop in shipments, HP, Dell, and Asus saw growth in the range of two percent.

gartner_3q_16_global

Gartner's Preliminary Worldwide PC Vendor Unit Shipment Estimates for 3Q16 (Thousands of Units)

Lenovo shipped an estimated 14.4 million PCs during the quarter, while HP shipped 14 million, Dell shipped 10 million, and Asus shipped 5.4 million. Acer, the number six worldwide PC vendor, was nearly on par with Apple's shipments at 4.6 million units sent out. Shipments from other smaller manufacturers were at 15 million, a 16.2 percent decline from the year-ago quarter.

In the United States, Apple shipped an estimated two million Macs, a 10.7 percent decline from the 2.3 million shipped in 3Q 2015.

gartner_3q16_us

Gartner's Preliminary U.S. Vendor Unit Shipment Estimates for 3Q16 (Thousands of Units)

According to Gartner's estimates, overall worldwide PC shipments fell 5.7 percent to 68.9 million units, marking the eighth consecutive quarter of decline, which it said is the "longest duration of decline" in the history of the PC industry.

gartner_3q16_us_trend

Apple's U.S. Market Share Trend: 1Q06-3Q16 (Gartner)

IDC also released its own shipment estimates, noting a 3.9 percent decline in overall worldwide PC shipments. According to IDC's numbers, which are very similar to Gartner's, Apple shipped 5 million Macs during 3Q 2016, a decline of 13 percent from 3Q 2015.

Almost all of Apple's Mac line is in desperate need of an update. Aside from the Retina MacBook, no other machines have received updates in 2016, leaving customers to eagerly await new models.

mac_buyers_guide
According to rumors, Apple is planning to introduce a revamped MacBook Pro as soon as later this month, said to feature a redesigned, thinner body, a flatter keyboard, a wider pressure-sensitive trackpad, and most notably, an OLED display touch panel that replaces the physical function keys.

Touch ID may be built into this panel, and it will include updated Intel processors, improved graphics, and USB C/Thunderbolt 3 support. Other Macs, like the Mac Pro, the Mac mini, iMac, and the MacBook Air are due for updates, but it is not yet clear when these machines will receive refreshes.

Tags: IDC, Gartner

Top Rated Comments

Thunderbird Avatar
84 months ago
How long should I "stay tuned" for?

('http://s50.photobucket.com/user/hadza/media/Post%20on%20Mac%20Rumors%20when%20nMP%20is%201000%20days_zpsfkfxfgym.jpg.html')
Score: 143 Votes (Like | Disagree)
tubeexperience Avatar
84 months ago
Who would have thought that selling terribly outdated tech at full retail prices would lead to declining sales?
Score: 99 Votes (Like | Disagree)
GREEN4U Avatar
84 months ago
What's the point of that huge new spaceship if all they're doing is making emojis.

That car better be amazing...
Score: 95 Votes (Like | Disagree)
xmonkey Avatar
84 months ago
"According to rumors, Apple is planning to introduce a revamped MacBook Pro as soon as next month"

Uh, please tell me this was written in September.
Score: 83 Votes (Like | Disagree)
enc0re Avatar
84 months ago
If top management has stopped caring about the Mac, I wish they would appoint an executive dedicated to the Macintosh. This is a multi-billion dollar business that deserves competent leadership. Seriously, it would not be hard to make Mac hardware competitive.

1. Just give us annual refreshes with current components for starters.
2. Next, make the Mac Pro a 'cross over product' that could be specced with desktop class or workstation class components. No more: either workstation or laptop on a stick nonsense, with a gaping hole in the middle.
3. And by God, fix your damn OpenGL drivers!
Score: 79 Votes (Like | Disagree)
UKPoliticsGuy Avatar
84 months ago
It's like they've stopped caring.
Score: 75 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

maxresdefault

Apple Announces WWDC 2023 Event Taking Place June 5 to 9

Wednesday March 29, 2023 9:58 am PDT by
Apple today announced that its 34th annual Worldwide Developers Conference will take place from Monday, June 5 to Friday, June 9. Like WWDC 2020, 2021, and 2022, WWDC 2023 will be an online event for the most part, and it will be open to all developers at no cost. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. Apple will provide online sessions and labs, which will allow...
iPhone 15 Pro Buttons CAD Leak

iPhone 15 Pro Low-Energy Chip to Allow Solid-State Buttons to Work When Device is Off or Out of Battery

Wednesday March 29, 2023 1:54 am PDT by
The iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max will use a new ultra-low energy microprocessor allowing certain features like the new capacitive solid-state buttons to remain functional even when the handset is powered off or the battery has run out, according to a source that shared details on the MacRumors forums. CAD-based render of new solid-state buttons on iPhone 15 Pro models The source of this rumor is ...
CarPlay Phone Call

General Motors to Phase Out Apple CarPlay Starting This Year in EV Transition

Friday March 31, 2023 8:43 am PDT by
General Motors (GM) will phase out Apple CarPlay and Android Auto in its vehicles starting this year, shifting to a built-in infotainment system co-developed with Google (via Reuters). GM owns Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, and GMC in the United States. It will stop offering Apple CarPlay and Android Auto starting with the 2024 Chevrolet Blazer, which goes on sale this summer. The company plans ...
iPhone 15 Pro Multi Purpose button Mute Switch Feature Green 2

iPhone 15 Pro Rumored to Feature Multi-Use Action Button Instead of Mute Switch

Wednesday March 29, 2023 7:28 am PDT by
iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max models are rumored to feature a customizable Action button like the Apple Watch Ultra, according to a MacRumors forum member who leaked accurate details about the Dynamic Island on iPhone 14 Pro models last year. The source claimed the Action button will replace the Ring/Silent switch that has been included on every iPhone model since 2007. They did not...
iOS 16

iOS 16.4 Now Available for Your iPhone With These 8 New Features

Friday March 31, 2023 8:55 am PDT by
Following six weeks of beta testing, iOS 16.4 was released to the public this week. The software update includes a handful of new features and changes for the iPhone 8 and newer. To install an iOS update, open the Settings app on the iPhone, tap General → Software Update, and follow the on-screen instructions. Below, we have recapped eight new features and changes added with iOS 16.4,...
iOS 17 on Phone Feature

Three New iOS Features Coming to Your iPhone Following Apple Music Classical

Thursday March 30, 2023 7:13 am PDT by
With the Apple Music Classical app and an Apple Pay Later early access program now available, the list of previously-announced iOS features that have yet to launch is beginning to shrink. However, there are still a few features we are waiting for. Below, we have recapped three more iOS features that are expected to launch in 2023, including an Apple Card savings account for Daily Cash,...
apple mixed reality headset concept by david lewis and marcus kane

Kuo: Apple Mixed-Reality Headset May Not Appear at WWDC as Mass Production Pushed Back Yet Again

Thursday March 30, 2023 4:50 am PDT by
Apple has again pushed back mass production of its mixed-reality headset and the device may not appear at this year's Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC), Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo today said. Apple headset concept by David Lewis and Marcus Kane In a tweet, Kuo explained that Apple "isn't very optimistic" about whether the headset will be able to create an "iPhone moment." As a result,...