Apple's Mac sales down in the third quarter of 2018 due to a lack of updates



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Apple's worldwide shipments of Macs declined in the third quarter of 2018, according to new preliminary estimates of PC shipments released this afternoon by Gartner.

During the quarter, Apple delivered approximately 4.9 million Macs, compared to 5.4 million in the third quarter of 2017, a decrease of 8.5%. Apple's market share also decreased from 8% in 3Q17 to 7.3% in 3Q18.

Preliminary estimates of worldwide shipments of PC vendor units at Gartner for 3T18 (in thousands of units)


Apple continues to be the world's fourth largest supplier of computers, behind Lenovo, HP and Dell but ahead of Acer and Asus. Lenovo was the number one supplier in the quarter, with an estimated delivery of 15.8 million computers for a 23.6 percent market share.

HP came in second with 14.6 million computers shipped with a 21.8 percent market share, while Dell was third with 10.7 million computers shipped and a share of market of 16%. Acer and Asus both shipped about 4 million computers respectively accounting for 6.1 and 6 percent of the market.

Trend of Apple's market share: 1T06-3Q18 (Gartner)


The decline in Apple's Mac sales is not a surprise, as the company has not yet updated much of its Mac lineup for 2018. The only Mac that has experienced a refresh to date is the MacBook Pro, with MacBook, MacBook Air and Mac mini updates still on the horizon for a fall launch.

The decline in Mac sales is related to stagnant growth in the global PC market. A total of 67.2 million computers were shipped during the quarter, an increase of 0.1% over the third quarter of 2017.

Apple also saw a decrease in Mac shipments to the United States during 3Q18. Apple delivered a total of 2 million Macs during the quarter, compared to 2.2 million in 3Q17, representing a 7.6% decline in growth and a 13.7% market share.

Preliminary Estimates of Gartner's US Vendor Unit Shipments for 3T18 (in '000s)


HP was the leading PC provider in the United States, delivering 4.5 million PCs for a 30.7 percent market share. Dell ranks second with 3.8 million computers delivered and 25.9 percent market share, while Lenovo ranks third with 2.3 million. computers delivered and 15.4% market share.

IDC has also released its own shipping estimates this afternoon, pointing to a similar drop in Apple's sales. According to IDC, Apple shipped 4.8 million Macs during the quarter, down from 5.4 million previously, a decrease of 11.6 percent.

In the IDC rankings, Apple stands behind Lenovo, HP, Dell and Acer, becoming the world's fifth largest PC provider. IDC data also suggests an overall 0.9% decline in the global PC market, instead of the 0.1% growth recorded by Gartner.

Apple may see its Mac shipments rebound in the fourth quarter of 2018 and the first quarter of 2019, as many Mac updates are expected by the end of the year, possibly as early as October.

It is important to note that data from Gartner and IDC are preliminary and that the numbers may change, sometimes dramatically and sometimes less. Last year, for example, Gartner announced that Apple had shipped 4.6 million Macs worldwide in the third quarter of 2017, while their actual number was well above 5.4 million.

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