Mac Shipments Down in Q1 2019 Amid Worldwide PC Decline

Amid a decline of 4.6 percent in worldwide PC sales, Apple's Mac sales were also down 2.5 percent in the first quarter of 2019, according to new PC shipment estimates shared this afternoon by Gartner.

Apple shipped an estimated 3.98 million Macs during the quarter, down from 4.08 million in the year-ago quarter. Apple's market share grew year-over-year though, coming in at 6.8 percent, up from 6.6 percent in Q1 2018.

gartner 1Q19 global

Gartner's Preliminary Worldwide PC Vendor Unit Shipment Estimates for 1Q19 (Thousands of Units)

Apple continues to be ranked as the number four PC vendor worldwide, coming in after Lenovo, HP, and Dell, but ahead of Asus and Acer. Apple also held the number four spot in the year-ago quarter.

Lenovo, HP, and Dell all saw shipments grow or remain steady, while Asus and Acer, like Apple, experienced declines. Lenovo, the number one worldwide PC vendor during the quarter, shipped 13.2 million PCs for 22.5 percent market share, while HP, a close second, shipped 12.8 million PCs for 21.9 percent market share.

Dell came in third with close to 10 million PCs shipped and 17.6 percent market share, while Asus and Acer brought up the rear with 3.6 and 3.2 million PC shipments, respectively.

Overall, there were an estimated 58.5 million PCs shipped in Q1 2019, down from 61.4 million in the year-ago quarter.

Apple's U.S. Mac shipments also declined, with Apple shipping an estimated 1.44 million Macs during the quarter, a 3.5 percent decline from the 1.5 million Macs it shipped in Q1 2018. Apple is ranked as the number four vendor in the United States, trailing behind HP, Dell, and Lenovo, but beating out Microsoft.

gartner 1Q19 us

Gartner's Preliminary U.S. Vendor Unit Shipment Estimates for 1Q19 (Thousands of Units)

HP was the top U.S. PC vendor with 3.24 million PC shipments, followed by Dell with 3.16 million and Lenovo with 1.5 million. The overall PC market in the United States saw a 6.3 percent decline compared to Q1 2018, with a total of 11 million PCs shipped.

gartner 1Q19 trend

Apple's Market Share Trend: 1Q06–1Q19 (Gartner)

IDC also released its shipment estimates this afternoon, and is often the case, IDC's shipping estimates are different than Gartner's due to the variations in the way each firm makes shipment calculations.

IDC also suggests that overall worldwide PC shipments declined, but by just 3 percent with a total of 58.48 million PCs shipped during the quarter.

Apple is also the number four worldwide PC vendor in IDC's estimates, with IDC suggesting Apple shipped an estimated 4.058 million Macs during the quarter, a mere 0.5 percent drop from the 4.078 million Macs shipped in the year-ago quarter.

Data from Gartner and IDC is based on estimates, and while Apple used to provide specific breakdowns of Mac sales, the company is no longer doing so and there will be no way to confirm shipment estimates going forward.

These new numbers follow refreshes of both the MacBook Pro and the MacBook Air lineups, both of which were overhauled in October 2018, but come prior to the launch of updated iMacs. Apple this year has several additional Mac updates on the horizon, including a new high-end high-throughput modular Mac Pro.

Apple's Mac sales could potentially be suffering due to the negative publicity surrounding the butterfly keyboard issues in the MacBook, ‌MacBook Air‌, and ‌MacBook Pro‌, a problem that has become increasingly visible due to its impact on even the newest Mac notebooks.

Tags: Gartner, IDC

Popular Stories

WWDC25 Live Coverage Feature 1

WWDC 2025 Apple Event Live Keynote Coverage: iOS 26, macOS Tahoe, and More

Monday June 9, 2025 9:00 am PDT by
Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) starts today with the traditional keynote kicking things off at 10:00 a.m. Pacific Time. MacRumors is on hand for the event and we'll be sharing details and our thoughts throughout the day. We're expecting to see a number of software-related announcements led by a design revamp across Apple's platforms that will also see the numbering of all of...
maxresdefault

Everything Apple Announced at WWDC 2025 in 9 Minutes

Monday June 9, 2025 5:21 pm PDT by
At today's WWDC 2025 keynote event, Apple unveiled a new design that will inform the next decade of iOS, iPadOS, and macOS development, so needless to say, it was a busy day. Apple also unveiled a ton of new features for the iPhone, an overhauled Spotlight interface for the Mac, and a ton of updates that make the iPad more like a Mac than ever before. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel ...
liquid glass

Apple Announces All-New 'Liquid Glass' Software Redesign Across iOS 26 and More

Monday June 9, 2025 10:13 am PDT by
Apple today announced a complete redesign of all of its major software platforms called "Liquid Glass." Announced simultaneously for iOS, iPadOS, macOS, watchOS, tvOS, visionOS, and CarPlay, Liquid Glass forms a new universal design language for the first time. At its WWDC 2025 keynote address, Apple's software chief Craig Federighi said "Apple Silicon has become dramatically more powerful...
iPadOS 26 Apple Newsroom

Apple Says iPadOS 26 is Compatible With These iPad Models

Monday June 9, 2025 11:22 am PDT by
Apple today announced that iPadOS 26 will be compatible with the iPad models listed below. iPadOS 26 features a new Liquid Glass design, a menu bar, improved app windowing, and more. iPadOS 26 supports the following iPad models:iPad Pro (M4) iPad Pro 12.9-inch (3rd generation and later) iPad Pro 11-inch (1st generation and later) iPad Air (M2 and later) iPad Air (3rd generation and...
iPhone Car Key WWDC 2025

Apple Says These 13 Vehicle Brands Will Soon Offer iPhone Car Keys

Monday June 9, 2025 2:38 pm PDT by
In 2020, Apple added a digital car key feature to its Wallet app, allowing users to lock, unlock, and start a compatible vehicle with an iPhone or Apple Watch. The feature is currently offered by select automakers, including Audi, BMW, Hyundai, Kia, Genesis, Mercedes-Benz, Volvo, and a handful of others, and it is set to expand further. During its WWDC 2025 keynote today, Apple said that 13...
Apple WWDC25 iOS 26 hero 250609

Apple Announces iOS 26 With 'Liquid Glass' Design, Live Translation, Overhauled Phone App, and More

Monday June 9, 2025 11:00 am PDT by
Apple at WWDC announced iOS 26, introducing a comprehensive visual redesign built around its new "Liquid Glass" concept, alongside expanded Apple Intelligence capabilities, updates to core communication apps, and more. Liquid Glass is a translucent material that reflects and refracts surroundings to create dynamic, responsive interface elements, according to Apple. The new design language...

Top Rated Comments

JPack Avatar
81 months ago
People want a working keyboard. And reasonably priced storage options.

5,400 rpm in a 2019 iMac is simply ridiculous.
Score: 72 Votes (Like | Disagree)
kanki1985 Avatar
81 months ago
It's priced beyond reach for most who expect a decent configuration..
Score: 61 Votes (Like | Disagree)
dmx Avatar
81 months ago
Amid (still) dysfunctional keyboards, lack of innovation other than making them thinner, increasing quality of windows competition.
Score: 59 Votes (Like | Disagree)
The Samurai Avatar
81 months ago
You mean they expected shipments to rise when:

1) Prices have increased
2) Keyboards no longer work

Who would of thought...
Score: 39 Votes (Like | Disagree)
AngerDanger Avatar
81 months ago
I think people are losing sight of what's really important here: every year the combined marketshare of all these computers has added up to a staggering one hundred percent! That's phenomenal! Go team!

Score: 30 Votes (Like | Disagree)
TheShadowKnows! Avatar
81 months ago
Apple's Mac sales could potentially be suffering due to the negative publicity surrounding the butterfly keyboard issues in the MacBook ('https://www.macrumors.com/roundup/macbook/'), MacBook Air, and MacBook Pro, a problem that has become increasingly visible due to its impact on even the newest Mac notebooks.
No kidding, Sherlock/s

But it is not only the keyboard, although it is the most offensive and visible of all.

Queue the litany of "new-generation fixes" (which did not need fixing)...
[LIST=1]
* of course, keyboard (with or without "improved" key condoms)
* magsafe, where are you? we miss you!
* proprietary thunderbolt 1,2,3 .. the port to rule them all ... not! (USB 3.1 Gen2 compatibility is the saving grace)
* mega-sized touchpad (with imperfect palm rejection)
* T2 firmware with built-in "failure as an option"
* touch bar that no one asked, but all have to pay
* minimal, fixed storage configurations as entry level, with super-sized pricing for useful ones.
* built as a disposable appliance where any reasonable repair (e.g. battery!) demands system overhaul and sub-system replacement (top aluminum case replaced with keyboard, speakers, and battery as a single sub-system)
* adding insult to injury, no "Right-to-Repair", with no repair manuals and/or OEM replacement parts available to third parties.
* and, of course, Cook's spreadsheet where options are all priced by powers-of-2, regardless of technology trends.

So why bother?
Simple, macOS.
But that distinction is fading away... fast.
Score: 25 Votes (Like | Disagree)