Apple is growing the fastest in the PC market, +21% in 2024. But only the fourth in sales

The computer industry is gradually recovering and returning to growth after several years of declining shipments. Apple feels best in this market.

According to IDC report, global shipments of desktops and laptops in the second quarter of 2024 grew by 3% compared to the same period last year. This was the second consecutive quarter of growth for the PC industry after a period of decline that lasted 7 quarters in a row. Ryan Reith, vice president of IDC, noted that the growth was due to a combination of two factors: market hype around AI-oriented PCs, and the commercial system refresh cycle. This gave the PC market a much-needed boost.

Apple and Acer topped the list of manufacturers in terms of shipment growth rates. While the industry as a whole grew by 3%, Apple boasted a result of 20.8%. Acer showed an increase in shipments by 13.7%. Lenovo and HP had much more modest figures - 3.7% and 1.8% respectively. Dell was the only one among the major companies to experience a decrease in shipments - by 2.4%.

At the same time, Lenovo and HP continue to significantly outperform other manufacturers in terms of total shipment volumes. Lenovo leads the PC market, accounting for 22.7% of all shipments. HP's share is 21.1%. Apple, which was able to increase shipments the most, ranks 4th in terms of devices shipped with a market share of 8.8%.

It is expected that AI-oriented PCs will trigger a new wave of upgrades, although IDC reports that only about 3% of PCs shipped this year are optimized for AI tasks. It is also expected that Apple will continue to increase shipments in the future thanks to the integration of Apple Intelligence, allowing the company to benefit from the growing demand for AI-optimized PCs.

Source: IDC