Mac Shipments Continue to Rise Amid Surge in Demand for PCs [Updated]

Shipments of Macs increased by almost 10 percent in the second quarter of 2021 compared to the same time last year, as the surge in demand for computers continued, according to IDC data.

The IDC Worldwide Quarterly Personal Computing Device Tracker shows that worldwide shipments of personal computers, including desktops, notebooks, and workstations, reached 83.6 million units in the second quarter of 2021. This is an increase of 13.2 percent from the second quarter of 2020, in spite of component shortages across the industry that constrained supply.

IDC analysis noted that while annual growth remains high, it has begun to taper off as the 13 percent growth rate in the second quarter of 2021 is far lower than the 55.9 percent growth in the first quarter of 2021 and 25.8 percent growth in the fourth quarter of 2020. Neha Mahajan, senior research analyst with IDC’s Devices and Displays Group, commented:

The market faces mixed signals as far as demand is concerned With businesses opening back up, demand potential in the commercial segment appears promising. However, there are also early indicators of consumer demand slowing down as people shift spending priorities after nearly a year of aggressive PC buying."

Apple remained the fourth-largest PC vendor, tied with Acer, surpassed only by Lenovo, HP, and Dell, of which each had over double the number of shipments compared to Apple.

Apple does not disclose exact Mac shipment figures, meaning that the data provided by IDC is estimated. An equivalent report from Canalys placed Apple's annual growth at 19.8 percent, but showed shipment estimates in a similar range.

Apple's fiscal second quarter earnings call showed steady growth of Mac revenue broadly in line with IDC's estimates, but Apple has not yet reported on this period. Apple is set to hold its third quarter earnings call on July 27.

Update: Gartner has also shared its PC and Mac shipment estimates for the second quarter of 2021. According to Gartner's data, Apple sold six million Macs worldwide during the quarter, up from five million in in the year-ago quarter for an increase of 19.7 percent.

In the U.S., Apple sold an estimated 2.4 million Macs, up from 2.3 in the year-ago quarter for a 4.4 percent increase.