Mac sales soar as PC market slows

Apple Mac computer shipments increased significantly in the first quarter of 2026. According to estimated data shared by IDC, the company increased Mac shipments by 9 percent on an annual basis during this period. While the global PC market grew by only 2.5 percent in the same period, Apple’s performance revealed a remarkable divergence. It is stated that the MacBook Pro model with the M5 processor, which was introduced towards the end of last year, played a decisive role in this growth.

The company’s shipment volume increased from 5.7 million in the same period of the previous year to 6.2 million units. This increase moved Apple to fourth place among global PC manufacturers. The top three on the list were Lenovo with 16.5 million shipments, HP with 12.1 million and Dell with 10.3 million, respectively. According to IDC data, most major manufacturers except HP managed to increase their shipments during the period under review. Despite this, Apple’s growth rate stood out above the general market trend.

While growth in the global PC market remains limited, Apple increased its share

Apple’s share in the global PC market also increased in parallel with this growth. The market share, which was 8.9 percent in the first quarter of 2025, increased to 9.5 percent in the same period of 2026. This increase shows that the performance and energy efficiency advantages provided by the company, especially with its own Apple Silicon processors, continue to influence user preferences. In addition, although the updates made to the MacBook Air and upper segment MacBook Pro models keep the product range up-to-date, it is stated that the impact of these models is limited in the quarterly data in question.

On the other hand, IDC emphasizes that this growth is not limited to new products only. Increasing component costs and especially concerns about memory supply have caused manufacturers to bring forward their shipping strategies. Although this situation increases shipment figures in the short term, the possibility of a slowdown in the PC market in the future is also brought to the agenda. It is stated that manufacturers with better access to memory supply will be in a more advantageous position during this possible contraction process.

It is also reminded that the data shared by IDC covers desktop computers, laptop models and workstations, but the tablet category is not included in these calculations. Therefore, products such as iPad are not included in these statistics. However, Apple no longer officially announces quarterly product shipment numbers as in recent years. For this reason, the forecasts of research companies such as IDC serve as a reference to understand the general direction of the market.

More clear data on Apple’s financial performance will emerge with the financial results to be announced on April 30. This announcement will provide the opportunity to further evaluate the impact of Mac sales on revenue and the company’s overall hardware performance. While the first quarter data show that Apple is steadily strengthening its position in the PC market, it will be closely monitored how supply chain conditions and new product cycles will shape this picture in the coming period.