Strategy Analytics: Mac shipments up 94% in Q1, and there’s still room to grow

Chance Miller | May 13 2021 - 7:52 am PT

Following Apple’s record-setting earnings for the fiscal second quarter last month, Strategy Analytics is out with a new report today highlighting PC shipment numbers for the quarter. According to the data, industry-wide shipments were up 81% during the quarter, while Apple specifically saw 94% growth.

As a refresher, Apple last month reported revenue from the Mac of $9.1 billion, up 70% year-over-year, making for a new all-time record. Apple, however, does not report unit sales for any of its products, so that’s where data from firms like Strategy Analytics comes in.

According to the report, Apple shipped 5.7 million Macs in the first calendar quarter of 2021. This is a 94% increase from the 2.9 million Macs shipped in the same quarter one year ago. It makes Apple the fourth largest PC vendor, behind Lenovo in first, HP in second, and Dell in third.

In terms of market share, Apple now has an 8.4% share of the industry, up from 7.8% in the same quarter one year ago. Again, Lenovo, HP, and Dell lead the way here with 24%, 23%, and 15% market share respectively.

Going forward, Strategy Analytics says that there is still pent-up demand in the PC industry due to supply chain shortages:

With remote and hybrid work options and e-learning continuing worldwide, demand for Notebook PCs is at its highest, driving 81% year-on-year shipment growth, according to a new report by Strategy Analytics. Work-from-home demand and the notebook PC upgrade cycle were the main driving factors for commercial demand, while the consumer segment contributed with strong e-learning and gaming activity from home in the first quarter. All of this occurred despite supply chain shortages, meaning that there is still pent-up demand going forward in 2021.

This data should be treated with some skepticism because Apple does not report unit sales for the Mac. Therefore, firms like Strategy Analytics are estimating shipment numbers based on things like supply chain data, revenue numbers, and surveys.

You can find the full report right here.