No, wait, global Mac sales are up 9.3% annually as of quarter four of 2023

First IDC weighed in on global personal computer (PC) sales. Now the Canalys research group offers its report. And there’s some big differences.

According to Canalys, the worldwide PC market ended its streak of annual shipment declines in the last quarter of 2023, posting a modest year-on-year growth of 3%. Total shipments of desktops and notebooks rose to 65.3 million units. Shipments of notebooks hit 51.6 million units, up 4% from 2022, while desktop shipments landed at 13.7 million units, declining 1%. 

Here’s where it gets interesting. IDC says Mac sales worldwide were down 22.4% year-over-year. However, Canalys says Mac sales were UP 9.3%.

This research group says that Apple secured the fourth position in quarter four of 2023 by shipping 6.6 million units globally, achieving 9% growth. That compares to, per Canalys, sales of 6 million Macs in quarter four of 2022.

Ahead of Apple in the global PC market, by Canalys’ reckoning, is Lenovo (24.7% market share), HP (21.4% market share), Dell (15.2%) market share. The Mac has 10.1% of the worldwide personal computer market. 

For the full year 2023, PC shipments totaled 247 million units, marking a 13% drop compared to 2022. The market is now poised for growth, with AI-capable PCs set to provide an additional boost during the ongoing refresh cycle and beyond.

“2023 was a challenging year for the PC industry, but companies have remained resilient and can now look forward to an improving landscape,” says Canalys Research Manager Himani Mukka, Research Manager at Canalys. “The cautious optimism across key players in the market has been borne out by a stronger holiday season compared to last year and inventory corrections in the previous quarters have helped support renewed sell-in. As macroeconomic conditions continue to improve, companies and individuals that have delayed their purchasing for many quarters are now set to resume spending on PCs.”