Mac Shipments Remain Steady in Q1 2018 Amid Continuing Worldwide PC Decline

Amid a continuing decline in worldwide PC shipments, Apple's Mac sales have remained steady in the first quarter of 2018, according to new PC shipping estimates shared this afternoon by Gartner.

Apple shipped an estimated 4.26 million Macs during the first quarter of 2018, up from 4.2 million Macs in the year-ago quarter, marking 1.5 percent growth.

Apple's market share for the quarter comes in at 6.9 percent, up from 6.7 percent in Q1 2017. Apple was ranked as the number four PC vendor worldwide during the quarter, coming in after HP, Lenovo, and Dell, and ahead of Asus and Acer. Apple was ranked the number five vendor during the same quarter last year, but this year, it surpassed Asus.

Gartner's Preliminary Worldwide PC Vendor Unit Shipment Estimates for 1Q18 (Thousands of Units)
Most vendors saw shipments remain steady during the quarter. HP, the number one worldwide PC vendor, shipped 12.9 million PCs during the quarter for 20.8 percent market share, while Lenovo, a close competitor, shipped 12.4 million for 20 percent market share. Dell came in third with 9.9 million shipments and 16 percent market share, while Asus and Acer brought up the rear with 3.9 and 3.8 million shipments, respectively.

The overall worldwide PC market, however, declined 1.4 percent year over year. In total, there were an estimated 61.7 million PC shipments during the quarter, down from 62.6 million in the year-ago quarter and the 14th consecutive quarter of decline.

Apple saw less growth in the United States. During Q1 2018, Apple shipped an estimated 1.49 million Macs, a 0.5 percent increase from the 1.48 million Macs it shipped in the year-ago quarter. Apple was also ranked the number four PC vendor in the U.S., trailing behind Dell, HP, and Lenovo.

Gartner's Preliminary U.S. Vendor Unit Shipment Estimates for 1Q18 (Thousands of Units)

Dell was the top U.S. PC vendor 3.44 million shipments, while HP shipped 3.35 million machines and Lenovo shipped 1.63 million. The overall PC market in the U.S. saw a 2.9 percent decline compared to Q1 2017.

Apple's Market Share Trend: 1Q06–1Q18 (Gartner)
IDC also released its own shipment estimates this afternoon, and as is often the case, IDC's shipping estimates are quite a bit different from Gartner's. IDC and Gartner's data often varies due to the different ways each firm makes its shipment calculations.

The IDC numbers suggest overall worldwide PC shipments remained flat, with 60.38 million PCs shipped during Q1 2018, down just slightly from 60.39 million in the year-ago quarter.

IDC says Apple was the number five worldwide PC vendor with just 4 million Macs shipped, a 4.8 percent decline from the 4.2 million shipped in the year-ago quarter. While Gartner ranks Apple above Acer, IDC does not.

It's important to note that data from Gartner and IDC is preliminary and the numbers can shift, sometimes dramatically and sometimes less so. Last year, for example, Gartner estimated shipments of 4.217 million Macs in Q1 2017, while the actual number was 4.199 million.

It's been several months since Apple last refreshed the bulk of its Mac lineup, with the exception of the iMac Pro, so it's not surprising to see little growth in shipments. Apple is expected to introduce refreshed MacBook, MacBook Pro, and iMac models at some point this year, perhaps at the Worldwide Developers Conference in June.