Gartner: global Mac sales increase 31.3% year-over-year

Following a report by IDC about improving Mac sales, the Gartner research group has released a report that looks even better for Apple’s computer line-up.

Worldwide personal computer shipments totaled 79.4 million units in the fourth quarter of 2020, a 10.7% increase from the fourth quarter of 2019, according to preliminary results by Gartner. For the year, personal computer shipments reached 275 million units in 2020, a 4.8% increase from 2019 and the highest growth in 10 years.

According to Gartner, Apple sold 6.9 million Macs in the fourth quarter of 2020 compared to 5.3 million in the fourth quarter of 2019, growth of 31.3% year-over-year.

In the fourth quarter of 2020, Apple’s Mac had 8.7% of the global personal computer market, per the research group (neither Gartner nor IDC count tablets such as iPads in their tallies of personal computers).

This places Apple number four on the list of global personal computer companies. Ahead of it are Lenovo (27.1% percent market share in quarter four of 2020); HP (19.8%), and Dell (16.6%).

Gartner says the U.S. personal computer market had another strong quarter, registering 20.6% growth year over year. Despite economic and political disruptions in the region throughout the fourth quarter of 2020, the consumer personal computer market continued to perform well, led by surging mobile personal computer demand. For the full year, the U.S. personal computer market experienced its highest growth in 20 years.

Per Gartner, U.S. Mac sales in the fourth quarter of 2020 tallied 2.7 million, compared to 2.1 million in the fourth quarter of 2019, an increase of 32% year-over-year. 

Apple is in fourth place among personal computer makers in the U.S. with 14.3% market square, up 32% year-over-year. Ahead of it in the U.S. are HP (28% market share as of quarter four of 2020), Dell (25.2%), and Lenovo (18.2%).