In a new analytical report published this afternoon we learn that  the global PC market grew year on year for a fourth consecutive quarter, with total shipments of desktops, notebooks and workstations up 1.3% to 66.4 million units. Notebook shipments (including mobile workstations) reached 53.5 million units, up 2.8%, while desktop shipments (including desktop workstations) contracted 4.6% to 12.9 million units.

The next 12 months are set for continued strong growth as a large proportion of the Windows PC installed base still needs to be refreshed before the end of life of Windows 10 in October 2025.

Yet for Apple, it was a really bad quarter registering -17.5% annual growth. They went from 9.5% market share in Q3-23 to 7.7% market share in Q3-24. Canalys reports that Apple shipped 5.1 million Macs.

Fourth place Asus delivered the biggest positive leap with +15.8% annual growth for Q3-24.  

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The launch of the latest-generation AI PC processors from Intel, AMD and Qualcomm is also strengthening the value proposition of upgrading an old PC. Consumer demand has not been as strong, but the 2024 holiday season is expected to bring significant promotional activity, which will help support modest growth toward the end of this year.”

New MacBooks coming by month-end should help Apple leap back to fourth spot in Q4-24 – if all goes well.  macOS Sequoia 15.1 is scheduled to come with Apple Intelligence. It's up to Apple to play this up and get Apple fans excited to try out  this all-new feature for Macs.