Mac Shipments Were Flat at the End of 2025 as Rival PC Brands Surged

[WarmWinterHat]

Don’t be silly. I simply pointed out that millions of Win 10 users in Europe, suddenly were given a year’s grace. Naturally this would be a factor when considering MaFlynn’s post.

We got that in the US, too. The kids both have windows 10 machines that I haven't got around to "force" updating to Windows 11, so i enabled extended updates until i do.

...or I just might instill windows 10 IoT, like I did on my desktop. it'lll be supported for years.

 

[Solarflares]

We got that in the US, too. The kids both have windows 10 machines that I haven't got around to "force" updating to Windows 11, so i enabled extended updates until i do.

...or I just might instill windows 10 IoT, like I did on my desktop. it'lll be supported for years.

Thank you WarmWinterHat. Someone finally agrees with me.

 

[HouseLannister]

The death of Windows 10 and the increase in RAM and storage prices have gamers and other users panic-buying PCs they don't really need. It's an artificial bump, as these shoppers would have normally waited another year or more to buy but feel pressured to pull the trigger now. Otherwise, all computer sales would be flat or in decline. There is not enough new in all the AI-inside PC industry madness to give shoppers a reason to get a new Mac or PC if they have anything even 5 years old.

 

[punkwood]

Whenever the 16” M5 MBP shows up, I’ll bet upgrading from my 2016 MBP. Just getting too long in the tooth and many things are unsupported (like Google Chrome as of this AM). It still works great. I’ll likely keep the new one for a decade. Part of it is that they are so well built. Part of it is there is no longer any compelling reason to upgrade outside of obsolescence.

Also on a 2016 MBP and will be upgrading to a 15" M4 Air when the M5 comes out. Outside of the battery the thing just still works, but I can't justify replacing the battery a second time and one app that I use often is no longer supported and so I am forced to boot into Windows several times a week to use it, and the battery issue means it has to be plugged in or does not work. Performance still meets my needs otherwise. I figure its time, but I feel good about 10 years.

 

[Solarflares]

Also on a 2016 MBP and will be upgrading to a 15" M4 Air when the M5 comes out. Outside of the battery the thing just still works, but I can't justify replacing the battery a second time and one app that I use often is no longer supported and so I am forced to boot into Windows several times a week to use it, and the battery issue means it has to be plugged in or does not work. Performance still meets my needs otherwise. I figure its time, but I feel good about 10 years.

The 2025 MacBook Air M4 was a great release. You’ll love it.

 

[Halmahc]

So Mac shipment grew for the year in review(better than the entire market) but was flat for the 4th quarter, perhaps, because apart from the base M5 MacBook Pro they didn’t release any other Mac compared to Q4 2024 where there were several new models.
But this article(headline especially) focuses on the fourth quarter part of the report to paint a “negative” picture because, perhaps, negative news sells better? Interesting 🧐

 

[KPOM]

...if you look at the IDC data then you see that that isn't at all a factor in this data.

Given the factors at play right now (the memory shortage, etc) it is arguable very concerning to Apple that they didn't experience an increase in sales.

There were no major updates to the Mac in Q3 or Q4 to drive sales growth.

 

[Solarflares]

The used market is thriving, as Nov 2024 warranties have now run out.
So many more factors involved, if people can get away from biased charts, and use their brains.

 

[thejadedmonkey]

I suspect this is a direct result of the Windows 11 upgrade push, as most of the corporate world was forced to update their PCs.

Doubtful. There are very few corporate users who would need to upgrade today, who haven't already, but also couldn't extend Windows 10 support.

Having said that, my company is phasing support for Windows 10 out this month, but it's been a multi-year long slog with the last roughly 10 computers taking almost 6 months to remove or update.

 

[t0rqx]

Try manufacturing your Macbooks without dents and scratches. Quality is below Apple usual standards.

 

[CWallace]

I don't see this as anything to get worried over. As the report itself noted, Mac shipments for the year were stronger than the previous year and out-paced the general PC industry on a percentage growth basis.

Also, the IDC numbers are "shipments", not "sales". Some of these PC suppliers have likely not been able to "negotiate" the reduced tariff rates Apple has secured, so they could be loading up their US warehouses before the tariffs take effect.

Add in enterprise and small business customers upgrading to beat price hikes and sunsetting Windows 10 support as well as the M5 versions of the MacBook Air and the higher-end MacBook Pros not yet shipping and the reported market favored PC sales.

 

[hajime]

If laptops with Panther Lake are dead silent and available sooner than M5 Pro MacBook Pro, I may also buy a PC.

 

[maflynn]

Don’t forget that all of Europe and the UK, were given a year’s extension of Win 10 security updates.

I don't see any trend that would indicate that people in large masses will leave the PC platform for the Mac. We currently have a large enough population to project that the early talk of folks buying macs to avoid windows 11 turned out to be false.

 

[bradman83]

The report is Q4 2025 vs Q4 2024. Last year in Q4 Apple released a slew of new Mac models, including the M4/Pro/Max MBPs, redesigned Mac mini, and iMac. This year we got just the base M5 MBP, which is kind of an oddball machine compared to the more popular Air. So it’s no surprise sales were flat at best.

PC sales accelerating is also to be expected. At the start of the pandemic there was a super cycle upgrade across both consumer and business/enterprise customers. Enterprise customers tend to use their machines for as long as their support contract from the OEM lasts, typically 3-5 years. So many of those machines they deployed to accommodate work from home solutions during the pandemic are starting to age out and need replacement.

The PC market was flat, if not outright down for the immediate years following the pandemic so this is simply a slow return to normal. The sunsetting of Windows 10 is providing further incentive for companies to upgrade. I would wager most of those PC sales boosts are enterprise customers. (I can speak from experience, my company just replaced my five year old 2020 model laptop with a new one last month; they’re upgrading around 7,000 laptops in total over the next year).

 

[Mobius77]

Apple's trade-in price is not that bad. I traded an M1 mini for an M4 mini and got around 50-52% of the original price.

I just checked Apple Trade page, and the Mini is up to $380 back. The base price is $599, so soon after the M5 release, I may trade in.
Looks like Macbook Air is pretty much 50% above but Macbook Pro is not..odd.

 

[Siliconguy]

My M1 iMac does not feel like it needs upgrading. Computers have matured. Apple's extortionate pricing on memory and SSD doesn't encourage upgrading either!

Formerly extortionate pricing, thanks to the AI hype memory and SSD prices have surged. Apple's so far have not.

 

[TeamGibbsv2]

I wonder if that exclusivity, that willingness to pay a premium price for an apple product is fading a bit.

 

[ksec]

And that is despite MacBook Air has been on discount for most of its time on Amazon US.

What matters a lot more is Active User base, ever since Apple crossed the 100M Mac user mark they haven't give out any new figures. The PC market is any where between 1.3B to 2B. I would have liked Apple to be 200M to 300M by now. But I highly doubt that is the case.

 

[ab2c4]

Probably due to Christmas sales which would make sense. Mac’s were on sale too but most people that wanted a new Mac bought one earlier in the year due to “other reasons”.

 

[MacBH928]

with Windows having like 85% of the personal computer market share, Apple has done nothing to expand their market share. All they care about is catering to their "niche" fans. There was a time when Apple was defacto choice in education but they do not care about that.

all they care about is the next iphone release and new emojis.

 

[klasma]

Don’t forget that all of Europe and the UK, were given a year’s extension of Win 10 security updates.

Not for business users, unless they pay extra. The free extension is limited to personal accounts.

 

[Anaxarxes]

Apple needs to engage corporate enrollment better. If these numbers are divided among consumer and corporate purchases, most companies still relay on PC for most of their tasks and employees.

Also for these companies, few Apple users are OK but device management, macos enrollments etc are really a hassle for IT teams as there are far less governance tools available for them and the IT teams for device management are not too familiar with macs as 90+% of all they do is PC.

 

[joshwithachance]

Damn... Even with that perpetual $749 sale on the 13" Air. Ouch.

 

[chmania]

Mac sales are just around 9% compared to major computer manufacturers such as Lenovo, Dell, or HP, but when considering the hundreds of other laptop and computer makers around the world, that figure drops to less than 7%. Therefore, the idea that those millions of Windows 10 users would suddenly decide to buy a Mac is nothing more than a daydream. Windows users are rarely inclined to switch platforms; even for Linux, they typically opt for dual booting.

macOS feels quite outdated, even with its "new" glossy appearance. Such aesthetics have come and gone in Linux distributions a long time ago. Windows 11, on the other hand, appears quite new and up to date, so the chances of attracting Windows 10 users to the Apple fold are pretty slim.

 

[iphonehype]

I am liking Windows 11 very much. I now have a Surface with Arm64 and use my MacBook as a second machine.

Maybe its the arm64 windows machines also hurting sales

Edit: then again, same form factor for years, maybe I will upgrade when the new form factors come out who knows.