MacBook Air Drives 6.5 Million Apple Laptop Shipments in Q3 2021

[MacRumors]

Apple shipped 6.5 million laptops in the third quarter of this year, thanks in large part to high demand for the M1-powered MacBook Air.

That's according to research firm Strategy Analytics, whose data put Apple as the fourth largest seller of laptops between July and September, earning it 10% of the global market share and 10% growth year-on-year.

Lenovo took first place in the top five by shipping 15.3 million units, amounting to 23% market share, while HP and Dell shipped 14.3 million and 12.2 million units to earn 21% and 18% market share, respectively.

According to the report, most vendors grew on top of record 2020 levels, while Dell topped growth rates with a massive 50% increase year-on-year. At the same time, consumer spending increased thanks to higher discounts on premium products like MacBook Air.

Including other brands outside of the top five, 66.8 million laptops were shipped in the quarter, although the figure would likely have been higher had it not been for the supply constraints and chip shortages that have hit tech companies, including Apple.

Apple last week reported Mac revenue of $9.17 billion in the fourth quarter of its 2021 fiscal year, which is an all-time quarterly revenue record for Macs. Apple CEO Tim Cook said there was "strong demand" for the M1 MacBook Air in particular.

Apple is expected to release a MacBook Air with an entirely new design and an Apple-designed M2 chip in around six to eight months from now. Rumors suggest the notebook will have a similar design as the 24-inch iMac, including off-white bezels around the display and a variety of color choices.

Article Link: MacBook Air Drives 6.5 Million Apple Laptop Shipments in Q3 2021

 

[dantracht]

Not surprised at all. I sold my Intel 16" for an M1 MBA last December. Best MacBook I've ever owned, pending the arrival of my M1 Max MBP, that is.

 

[jonnysods]

I replaced my MBA with the 14" MBP. Missing the extra battery life on the MBA!

 

[GuruZac]

Love my M1 Air. Wonderful efficient little powerhouse.

 

[Kebabselector]

I'm hoping to pick one up later in the month to replace my old 11" MBA. Will wait to see what deals are available on Black Friday (UK) - I managed to get a decent discount on my current MBA back in 2015 so hoping to do the same, if not I'll probably get a refurb.

 

[Neeldenn]

I replaced my 2015 13” MBP with the M1 MBA and I absolutely love it. The battery life is great. It feels really snappy and is more than enough for some casual browsing, office work and photo editing with pixelmator pro

 

[xxray]

Apple Silicon is already really paying off apparently.

 

[Marbles1]

Good stuff. Keep buying them folks. Iron out all the cracks for me, build up the user base. See you in about 5 years.

 

[arvinsim]

Still the best value Macbook.

 

[TopToffee]

Good stuff. Keep buying them folks. Iron out all the cracks for me, build up the user base. See you in about 5 years.

Look forward to seeing you then. Meanwhile I'll have been enjoying 5 years of superior laptops.

M1 Air is a truly astonishing bit of kit. The combination of form factor, price, performance and battery life is simply incredible.

 

[Michael Scrip]

Apple Silicon is already really paying off apparently.

Apple Silicon got me to buy my first Mac... an M1 Macbook Air 16GB/1TB

It'll be my travel computer. Lightweight... plenty powerful... incredible battery life... I can charge it with a tiny USB-C charger... no fans... etc.

I'm not leaving my big honkin' Windows desktop though. I'm still happy in that world.

But this is the first Mac that ever got me curious. Good job Apple.

 

[Nozuka]

Mac business is going to flourish.
This was just with apple selling the same old machines with their own chips.
Gonna be interesting once they release the new Air too.


Personally using the baseline M1 Air and it's easily the best laptop i ever owned. I would not want to go back to a noisy machine that heats up my lap and wakes up slowly.

 

[DFZD]

It's an awesome device for the price. In fact it gives you most for your dollar for any Apple laptop ever released.

 

[hirsthirst]

My Partner bought one for her work-from-home / train to the office machine, and I bought one for my kid starting University which will do *everything* for three-years. I'm tempted to get one myself to replace my ageing iMac if I can find a nice enough 4K monitor to go with it.

For most people, most of the time, it feels like the perfect laptop to me - bravo Apple.

 

[Mockletoy]

My Partner bought one for her work-from-home / train to the office machine, and I bought one for my kid starting University which will do *everything* for three-years. I'm tempted to get one myself to replace my ageing iMac if I can find a nice enough 4K monitor to go with it.

For most people, most of the time, it feels like the perfect laptop to me - bravo Apple.

The EVE Spectrum seems to be getting good reviews.

 

[Leon Ze Professional]

Undoubtedly the best consumer laptop at present thanks to the M1 processor.

 

[CarpalMac]

Happy to of helped. ?‍?

 

[TechRunner]

Tremendous price/performance ratio on the MBA. I'm trying to convince my daughter to dump her 2017 13" MBP for one, as she's already had the motherboard and screen replaced, and the keyboard is starting to act up.

 

[kemal]

With the M1, Apple are stuck with putting a performant chip in the cheap laptop. Perhaps with the M2, they can cripple the MBA and drive up sales of the MBP. I hope not.

 

[hirsthirst]

EVE Spectrum

I'd not seen that before, thanks! - €799 / $799

Order

Elevate your gaming experience with iconic, high-performance gaming gear. Created with advanced technology and crowdsourcing innovation, our devices help you excel and fully immerse in your favorite games.

euro.evedevices.com

 

[Danoc]

The M1 MBA is the best Mac package in a very long time: strong performance, excellent build quality, stellar battery life and affordable pricing. Recently with Apple, it was either strong performance or affordable pricing. Here you get both.

 

[djcerla]

These numbers will go up, substantially.

Post-supply chain crisis, and now freed from Intel-tax, Apple may decide to go straight to the jugular vein of Wintel and sell a lower cost MacBook, further segmenting their market just like they did with the iPhone, the iPad and the Watch.

 

[lambertjohn]

With the M1, Apple are stuck with putting a performant chip in the cheap laptop. Perhaps with the M2, they can cripple the MBA and drive up sales of the MBP. I hope not.

Huh?

 

[XXPP]

DELL -5% not 50%

 

[Michael Scrip]

These numbers will go up, substantially.

Post-supply chain crisis, and now freed from Intel-tax, Apple may decide to go straight to the jugular vein of Wintel and sell a lower cost MacBook, further segmenting their market just like they did with the iPhone, the iPad and the Watch.

While I like that idea... I wonder what they would do to lower the price?

Binned CPU? 4c or 6c instead of 8c?

4GB RAM and 128GB SSD?

Dimmer screen?

I'd love to see a $699 or $799 Macbook SE... but I'm worried about what corners Apple will cut to still make their margins.

Or maybe that's what role the iPad fills?