IDC: Mac shipments continued to grow in Q2, but there are signs of a slowdown

Chance Miller | Jul 12 2021 - 7:16 am PT

Apple is set to report its latest quarterly earnings on July 27, but new data from IDC analysts today provides a preview of what to expect. According to the latest data, Apple saw Mac shipments increase nearly 10% during the second quarter of 2021 compared to the same quarter last year, despite global component shipments.

For the entire PC industry, IDC analysts say shipments reached 83.6 million units in the quarter, up 13.2% year-over-year. Despite the continued growth, however, the analysts warn that there are early signs that growth is slowing. This comes after quarter after quarter of strong growth driven by an increase in remote work and remote learning amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Though annual growth remains quite high, it has begun to taper off as the 13% growth rate in 2Q21 is far lower than the 55.9% growth in 1Q21 and 25.8% growth in 4Q20. “The market faces mixed signals as far as demand is concerned,” said Neha Mahajan, senior research analyst with IDC’s Devices and Displays Group. “With businesses opening back up, demand potential in the commercial segment appears promising. However, there are also early indicators of consumer demand slowing down as people shift spending priorities after nearly a year of aggressive PC buying.”

For Apple, specifically, IDC estimates Mac shipments of 6.16 million units, up from 5.63 million units in the same quarter last year. This gives Apple a 7.4% share of the PC industry, down slightly from 7.6% in the same quarter last year. This makes Apple the fourth largest vendor, slightly ahead of Acer and lagging behind Dell, HP, and Lenovo.

As always, it’s important to remember that IDC data is based on supply chain data and surveys and should be treated with some skepticism. Apple will provide color on its Mac shipments during its earnings report on July 27, but the company does not report unit sales for any of its products.

Apple has warned that chip shortages could impact its businesses, particularly the Mac and the iPad.

Add 9to5Mac to your Google News feed.

FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.