Two totally different market intelligence businesses each reported that Q3 Mac shipments fell dramatically year-on-year, experiencing a far better drop than competing PC makers.

IDC estimates that international Mac shipments fell 23.1% year-on-year, whereas Gartner has the quantity at 24.2%, in opposition to an general PC market decline of round 8%. However neither quantity ought to be any nice shock …

PC shipments fell for all, besides HP

Each IDC and Gartner paint an identical image for the third quarter of the yr, with round an 8% year-on-year fall for the market as complete.

IDC:

The downward spiral for PC shipments continued throughout the third quarter of 2023 (3Q23) as international volumes declined 7.6% yr over yr with 68.2 million PCs shipped, in line with preliminary outcomes from the Worldwide Information Company.

Gartner:

Worldwide PC shipments totaled 64.3 million items within the third quarter of 2023, a 9% lower from the third quarter of 2022, in line with preliminary outcomes by Gartner, Inc.

HP was the one model within the prime 5 to expertise development, although that is mentioned to basically replicate resellers beginning to reorder now that they’ve bought their present extra inventory.

Each companies agree that Q3 was doubtless the underside of the market, with development anticipated to start once more within the present quarter.

Q3 Mac shipments hit hardest

HP apart, PC manufacturers noticed cargo volumes down wherever from 4.4% (Lenovo, Gartner estimate) to 14.3% (Dell, IDC estimate).

The autumn in Mac shipments of both 23.1% or 24.2% dwarfs the contraction seen amongst PC manufacturers.

However there’s good cause for this

Mac shipments noticed large development throughout the pandemic, when working from dwelling generated a considerable increase in demand for premium tech merchandise, together with Macs.

A mix of excessive demand and COVID-19-related provide issues meant that there was numerous pent-up demand for Macs, which was happy when provide lastly caught up with demand final yr. That bumper yr for Mac gross sales makes for a tricky year-on-year comparability this yr.

Ignoring that huge bump, Mac shipments have returned to the place they have been pre-pandemic – and in a declining market, general flat gross sales is sweet information.