Mac shipments in the last three months of 2024 rose sharply, hitting 17.3% in year-over-year growth according to a market research firm. Apple enjoyed a better growth rate than any of its top rivals, some of which saw their shipments decline.
The company also experienced growth in Mac shipments for the entire year compared to 2023.
Mac shipments grew strongly in Q4 2024
The boom in computer sales that took place during the pandemic is long gone, but Mac shipments are well above what they were in the pre-pandemic era. Going back five years to the fourth quarter of 2019, Apple shipped only 4.7 million macOS computers. Compare that to Q4 2024 when it shipped 7 million, according to IDC.
Looking more short term, Mac shipments in Q4 2023 totaled 5.9 million, resulting in the 17.3% year-over-year growth figure cited earlier. That said, Apple had an easy compare because 2023 was relatively weak. No new Macs debuted that quarter, but Apple launched multiple new models during Q4 2024, leading to increased Mac shipments. The M4-based MacBook Pro, Mac mini and iMac all debuted in the autumn.
For all of 2024, IDC reports Apple shipped 22.9 million Macs. That’s a healthy 4.5% annual increase over 2023.
For another long-term comparison, Apple made up 6.6% of the global PC market in 2019. It made up 8.7% in 2024.
And more new Macs are expected in the first quarter of 2025. A MacBook Air upgraded with the M4 processor should be out soon.
Windows computer makers didn’t do so well
The analysts at IDC also compiled data on traditional PC shipments made by Apple’s top rivals, none of which can match the growth of Macs. That said, several of them outsell Apple.
Lenovo’s Q4 2024 PC shipments grew 4.8% year over year, but both HP and Dell saw their shipments decline by 1.7% and 0.2%, respectively.
Looking at all of 2024, Lenovo shipments grew 4.7%, HP went up 0.1%, while Dell topped 2.2%, according to IDC.
Source: IDC
