Macbook Air M2
Global PC shipments fell 27.8% in the fourth quarter of 2022, but Apple weathered the market downturn with only a minor downturn.
According to an analysis by Counterpoint Research published by AppleInsider, macroeconomic headwinds such as rising inflation and low consumer demand contributed to the drop in sales to 65.2 million PC units.
Total PC shipments in 2022 were 286 million units, down 15% year-over-year for all of 2022. Analysts also forecast weak demand in the first half of 2023 and do not expect an annual increase in new year deliveries.
Record annual decline in shipments in the fourth quarter of 2022. Source: Counterpoint Research.
Lenovo led the market in the fourth quarter of 2022, but its 23.7% share remained unchanged. Its shipments were down 17% year-over-year, although analysts expect the company’s decline to recover as consumer demand picks up from China in 2023.
Second, HP’s shipments fell 29% year-over-year, and the company’s market share was 20.3%. However, it was the only company to report positive sequential shipment growth in the fourth quarter and is expected to recover in 2023.
Dell’s market share of 16.7% was the lowest in the last seven quarters, mainly due to lower demand from the corporate market. Analysts do not expect the company to see a rapid increase in sales of its commercial models in 2023, which is vital if Dell is to close the market share gap with HP.
Global PC shipments in Q4 2022. Source: Counterpoint Research.
In the fourth quarter, Apple had a slight decline in PC shipments of 3% year-over-year and gained market share with x86 processor suppliers. This isn’t entirely unexpected as Apple didn’t have new Mac models for the Christmas season like it did in 2021 and most other years before that.
However, the company recorded a double-digit share in the second half of 2022 and 9.4% for the full year.
Arm-based Apple Silicon Macs were helped by Apple, and in 2022 they released an updated M2 chip for the 13-inch MacBook Pro and MacBook Air. As a result, Apple shipped seven million Macs in Q4 2022, up from 7.2 million in Q4 2021.