No PC maker is growing faster than Apple. Mac shipments increased 20.8% year over year in Q2, according to market analysts. That’s a growth rate that dwarfs larger rivals.
It’s the second quarter in a row of double-digit growth for Apple.
Mac shipments in Q2 2024: So much growth
During the Covid pandemic, millions of people bought computers of all types so they could work or take classes from home. Years later, it seems many of these devices are due for replacement. And it’s pushing up Apple’s shipments.
Cupertino shipped 5.7 million Macs in the second quarter, according to IDC. That’s up from 4.7 million in the same period of 2024,hence the 20.8% increase.
macOS is having a good year. During the first three months of 2024, shipments increased 14.6%. This is likely because of the M3-powered MacBook Air that launched in March.
Apple vs. Windows, etc.
Apple’s growth part of a general rise in PC shipments, but no rival can match it. Lenovo saw a 3.7% year-over-year increase in Q2, while HP grew just 1.8%. Dell’s shipments actually dropped.
Nevertheless, Apple remains in fourth place behind those three. IDC reports the Mac-maker has 9% of the global PC market, up from 8% a year ago. Lenovo has 23%, HP has 21% and Dell has 16%.
Mac users hold off on upgrades
Apple could sell more Macs except it makes such good ones that users are holding onto them longer.
A recent poll of people buying a new Mac found that 56% of purchasers were replacing a macOS computer that was three years or older. It’s a repeat of a poll analysts at CIRP conducted in 2020 and found that back then only 40% of buyers were replacing a computer three years or older.
So in 2024, a majority use their Mac for at least three years before upgrading. But back in 2020, a majority of people (60%) were replacing their Mac after fewer than three years.
The difference might come down to Apple silicon. The M1 launched at the end of 2020 but is still quite a capable chip. It’s up to running the new Apple Intelligence AI features, for example.
