Global Apple Mac sales grow 38.9% year over year (or maybe 7.3%)

Mac sales were up considerably in the third quarter of 2020, according to two research groups.

As the global pandemic rages on and many countries around the world enter the second wave of COVID-19 infections, continuity of business and online schooling remain at the forefront of every economy. This led to double-digit growth in the traditional PC (personal computer, not Windows-only systems) market, comprised of desktops, notebooks, and workstations, as global shipments grew 14.6% year over year to 81.3 million units, according to preliminary results from the International Data Corporation (IDC) Worldwide Quarterly Personal Computing Device Tracker.

IDC says Apple Mac sales were approximately 6.9 million in quarter three giving it 8.5% market share and year over year sales increase of 38.9%. Ahead of Apple were Lenovo (23.75 global market share), HP (23%), and Dell (14.8%). The Mac saw the largest year-over-year growth of any of the top five (including Acer) personal computer makers.

According to the Gartner research group, worldwide PC shipments totaled 71.4 million units in the third quarter of 2020, a 3.6% increase from the third quarter of 2019, according to preliminary results by Gartner, Inc. Consumer demand for PCs due to home entertainment and distance learning needs during the ongoing pandemic, along with the strongest growth the U.S. PC market has seen in 10 years, drove the global market momentum, sys research director Mikako Kitagawa.

Gartner says Mac sales worldwide were approximately 5.5 million in quarter three giving it 7.7% market share and year over year sales increase of 7.3%. Ahead of Apple were Lenovo (25.7% global market share), HP (22%), and Dell (14%). 

In the U.S., Gartner says HP secured the top spot in the U.S. PC market based on shipments with 30.8% market share. Dell followed with 25% of the U.S. PC market share, Lenovo with 15.3%, and Apple with 14.5%.  Apple’s Mac sales grew 10.5% year over year in the U.S., according to Gartner.