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.

Apple new macbookpro wallpaper screen 11102020
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.

idc pc shipments q2 2021
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.

Tags: Canalys, IDC

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Top Rated Comments

0924487 Avatar
50 months ago
This is temporary, it will drop in the subsequent years as the combination of remote work and M1 super cycle pass.

Apple is "borrowing" future purchasing capacities.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
skaertus Avatar
50 months ago
Apple grew 9.4%, which is below the market average of 13.2%. Apple's market share was actually down to 7.4% from 7.6% in the same period last year. While Apple is benefitting from a surge in overall PC shipments, performance is not great compared to other manufacturers, despite the impact that the M1 should have made.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
barkomatic Avatar
50 months ago
My organization hasn't made a decision about whether or not remote work will be permanent or not, but if I'm even partially remote I'm going to be needing a new macbook pro soon. Holding out for the new models in Oct/Nov
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
TheYayAreaLiving ?️ Avatar
50 months ago
M1, M1X and M2 will be a game changer and will take Apple to its new heights.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Lemon Olive Avatar
50 months ago
And this is in spite of the fact that every professional user has been in a watch and wait stance for a year, until a pro-grade Mac with Apple Silicon ships.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
jicon Avatar
50 months ago

Apple grew 9.4%, which is below the market average of 13.2%. Apple's market share was actually down to 7.4% from 7.6% in the same period last year. While Apple is benefitting from a surge in overall PC shipments, performance is not great compared to other manufacturers, despite the impact that the M1 should have made.
Price I'm sure factors in to this, with job losses, and inflation rising somewhat. The other factor I think is switch to new processors. Surely there are a sizable faction of individuals waiting for the next chipset iteration, allowing time for developers to port more apps, and motherboard/chip performance to mature? Rule #1 with Apple, avoid Rev A products.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)