Mac Shipments Down in Q3 2019 Amid Overall Worldwide PC Market Growth

Apple's worldwide Mac shipments were down in the third quarter of 2019, according to new preliminary Pc shipping estimates shared this afternoon by Gartner.

During the quarter, Apple shipped an estimated 5.1 million Macs, down from 5.3 million in the third quarter of 2018, marking a 3.7 percent drop in shipments. Apple's marketshare also declined slightly, dropping from 7.9 percent to 7.5 percent.

Gartner's Preliminary Worldwide PC Vendor Unit Shipment Estimates for 3Q19 (Thousands of Units)
Apple continues to be the number four PC vendor in the world, ranking below Lenovo, HP, and Dell, but above Acer and Asus. Lenovo was the number one vendor during the quarter, shipping an estimated 16.8 million PCs for 24.7 percent market share.

HP came in second with 15.3 million PCs shipped for 22.4 percent market share, while Dell was third with 11.3 million PCs shipped and 16.6 percent market share. Acer shipped 4.2 million PCs for 6.2 percent market share, while ASUS shipped 3.8 million PCs for 6.5 percent market share.

Apple's Market Share Trend: 1Q06-3Q19 (Gartner)
Apple's decline in Mac sales follows refreshes of the MacBook Air and MacBook Pro lines this year, but comes as the iMac, Mac Pro, and iMac Pro continue to go without an update. Apple is planning to release an updated ‌Mac Pro‌ at some point this year.

The drop in Mac sales comes amid slight growth for the overall worldwide PC market. A total of 68.1 million PCs were shipped during the quarter, a 1.1 percent increase from the third quarter of 2018.

Apple saw slight growth in Mac shipments in the United States in Q3 2019. Apple shipped a total of 2.186 million Macs during the quarter, up from 2.182 during the third quarter of 2018, a 0.2 percent increase.

Gartner's Preliminary U.S. PC Vendor Unit Shipment Estimates for 3Q19 (Thousands of Units)
HP was the number one PC vendor in the United States, shipping 4.4 million PCs. Dell came in at number two with 4 million PCs shipped, while Lenovo was third with 2.2 million PCs. Microsoft and Acer trailed Apple in the United States.

IDC also released its own shipment estimates this afternoon, noting an even steeper decline in sales for Apple. According to IDC, Apple shipped 5 million Macs during the quarter, down from 5.3 million, a decline of 6.1 percent.

In IDC's rankings, Apple falls below Lenovo, HP, and Dell, also coming in as the number four worldwide PC vendor, which is up from fifth place last year. IDC's data also suggests overall worldwide PC market growth of 3 percent percent rather than the 1.1 percent growth noted by Gartner.

Apple could see some growth in Mac sales next year following the release of the new ‌Mac Pro‌ and rumors suggesting a new 16-inch ‌MacBook Pro‌ is on the horizon.

It's important to note that 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.