Mac shipments fall 40% YOY as pandemic PC boom ends

Mac shipments were down 40% year-over-year in the first quarter, according to analysts at IDC. That’s despite launches of M2 MacBook Pro and M2 Mac mini during the quarter.

The end of the pandemic boom is the primary reason for falling shipments across the industry. Apple experienced the biggest decline among PC makers in Q1, though, down 40% as the overall market shrunk 29%.

According to IDC, Apple shipped 4.1 million units between January to March 2023. That ranked it in fourth place; market leader Lenovo shipped 12.7 million units, representing a decline of 30%.

Part of the reason for Apple’s disproportionately large decline is the tough comparison with the first quarter of 2022 a year ago, when Apple was still benefiting from the successful launch of the M1 MacBook Pro series.

The M2 update released in January did not make the same splash, as it was a more iterative update. Of course, IDC is just one analyst estimate, but the numbers corroborate what we’ve heard elsewhere. A supply chain report last week said Apple paused the M2 silicon production line for a month due to lower-than-expected demand.

Apple will officially report Mac revenue for the first quarter at its quarterly earnings call, set for May 4. Apple’s overall revenue was down 5% in the previous holiday quarter, and analysts expect a similarly weak performance for the upcoming earnings results, amid macroeconomic weakness.