After the recent release of newer MacBook Pro models, Apple hoped to turn the tide on declining Mac sales figures. Which they did for a brief time, and now, things are getting worse again.
“Following the release of the new MacBook Pro models earlier this year,[…] Mac sales are starting to flatline, though other vendors are falling at [an even] faster rate. (Source)”
The results come from two separate sets of data — one from Gartner Research and another from IDC. Both are leading market research firms.Mikako Kitagawa, principal analyst at Gartner explained their data:
“Higher PC prices due to the impact of component shortages for DRAM, solid state drives (SSDs) and LCD panels had a pronounced negative impact on PC demand in the second quarter of 2017. The approach to higher component costs varied by vendor. Some decided to absorb the component price hike without raising the final price of their devices, while other vendors transferred the costs to the end-user price.”
As can be seen in the data from Table 2, Apple’s shipments were down by nearly 10% this quarter, as compared to the same time from last year. The only consolation Apple has is that all the other major PC manufacturers, with the exception of HP and Dell, have seen severe declines as well.
The overall PC market saw a fall of 5.7 % in total shipments this quarter, thereby more or less nullifying Apple’s decline.
While Apple can pacify themselves in the short run with these numbers, in the long run, they need a change in strategy. Especially in the wake of declining iPhone sales, Apple needs to step up the Mac sales.