Against all odds, Macs are having good sales figures so far this year. An positive increase compared to last year, to the detriment of the negative fall that PCs are suffering.
And I say against all odds, because the world events that we are currently experiencing do not help the development of the sector at all: chip shortage, factories closed in China, the war in Ukraine, etc. Without a doubt, the Apple Silicon project has been a success on the part of those from Cupertino.
market analyst office Counterpoint Research just posted a report on worldwide PC sales in the first quarter of this year. And they explain that sales of Macs grew 8% in said first quarter, while the two main PC brands saw falls of 4,3%, compared to the same quarter last year.
The report argues that this crisis is due to four factors that seriously harm the market, two of which affected demand and supply.
First, global inflation is reducing the purchasing power of both consumers and businesses. Second, the invasion of Ukraine has created a lot of uncertainty and concern about the social, political and economic future. Third, the continuing shortage of chips and logistical challenges, especially with ocean shipping. Lastly, the temporary closure of factories due to the COVID-19 lockdowns in China have further reduced the chances of sales.
Sure, strong demand for Apple's new M1-powered Macs means the company has seen sales regain ground it had lost for years. Apple continued its success with the new MacBook Apple silicon to see shipment growth of 8% in the first quarter of 2022, increasing its market share by 100 bps year-on-year.
Dell was the only PC brand with positive numbers, albeit only a 1% increase from 2021. Market leader Lenovo saw sales drop 10%, while second-placed HP fell 16%. Asus experienced growth at the beginning of the year, but due to the decline in sales of its Chromebooks, it has fallen to negative 1% at the end of the quarter in question.
Thanks to the Apple Silicon
The good figures from Apple are undoubtedly due to the fact that in the first quarter of 2021, those from Cupertino presented their first desktop Mac with the M1 chip, the 24-inch iMac. Previously, they had already launched the MacBook Air, MacBook Pro and Mac mini M1. Since then, Apple has released a redesigned MacBook Pro in 14-inch and 16-inch versions, as well as the new MacStudio.
