IDC data shows substantial decline for Apple

Apr 12, 2018 10:29 GMT  ·  By

The PC market managed to beat analyst expectations in the first quarter of 2018, as sales of desktops, notebooks, and workstations reached 60.4 million units, representing flat year-on-year growth.

PC shipments were originally projected by IDC to decline 1.5%, but the strong performance of some companies, including HP and Dell, helped the industry achieve better-than-expected sales in the largest markets.

“Business uptake of Windows 10 systems appear to be steadily ongoing, benefitting commercially-focused PC OEMs such as HP, Dell, and Lenovo. Demand for premium notebooks in both the consumer and commercial segments have also helped major vendors retain better margins and garner buyer interest,” IDC says in its Q1 analysis.

HP and Lenovo, still the leaders

HP continued to be the leading OEM during the quarter with total shipments of 13.6 million, up from 13.1 million in the first quarter of 2017. HP currently has a market share of 22.6%.

Lenovo remained the runner-up despite 0.0% growth, but with strong sales of 12.3 million units. Dell is currently third with 10.1 million sold units and 16.9% share, while Acer fell significantly during the quarter and sold only 4 million devices.

Apple recorded 4.8 percent decline, according to IDC, and sold only 4 million units in the first quarter of the year, which makes it the fifth largest PC manufacturer. It currently has a market share of 6.6%, down from 7.0% in the same period a year ago.

IDC says Dell was the company that “posted the strongest year-on-year growth out of all the major companies, growing 6.4% and buoyed by strong performances in nearly every region.”

In the coming quarters, demand for new PCs is likely to be at least flat or post small growth, and IDC explains that sales in the gaming industry are also on the rise. Premium notebooks posted a substantial growth in Q1 this year, and the firm estimates that major vendors will most likely continue to benefit from strong performance in this area through 2020.

Q1 2018 PC sales

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Apple PC sales fell from Q1 2017
Q1 2018 PC sales
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