In the latest Strategy Analytics report on notebook shipments,  HP edged out Lenovo for the first time in years by a slim margin to regain leadership in the notebook PC market in Q3-20.   

Overall, the industry picked up pace last quarter as the world moves on to new options of remote working, education and digitalization, driving 34% year-on-year shipment growth, according to Strategy Analytics’ latest report.

This high growth rate was actually limited by tight supply in the face of record demand, adding more drama to the competitive landscape as winter and more COVID lockdowns approach.

As for Apple, the report indicates that they took the fourth position edging closer to Dell in third spot. Apple shipped 6 million MacBooks in Q3 with year-over-year (YoY) growth clocking in at a health 39%, the second best in the top five vendors. Only HP beat Apple with 43% YoY growth.

(Click on image to Enlarge)

Strategy Analytics abbreviated report didn't confirm whether PC notebooks shipment included all-manor of Windows Tablets with attachable keyboards and whether or not Apple's iPad Pro was excluded. For the record, IDC PC statistics overall don't count tablets as PCs.

Chirag Upadhyay, Senior Research Analyst: "The third quarter would have been even more productive for some vendors if they were able to deliver more devices to meet high demand. Supply will remain a key concern as demand is expected to stay high amid rising COVID-19 infections around the world as the Northern Hemisphere enters a very difficult winter. With the pandemic still lingering across the globe, consumers have started their purchases before the holiday season to prepare for the new ‘normal’ of working and studying from home."

Eric Smith, Director – Connected Computing: "Chromebook delivered strong growth in both commercial and consumer segments as the operating system remained the favorite option for schools and students in developed markets. Meanwhile, consumers spent more money on notebooks being used for multiple tasks (entertainment/gaming and productivity) for an extended period of time."

Strategy Analytics full report could be purchased here.