The PC market has fallen sharply in the third quarter of 2022, according to preliminary data from major consultancies, but amid the carnage, there is one manufacturer that has bucked the trend: Apple Mac sales up 40% achieve the highest market share among memory manufacturers.

Global PC sales took another hit. Up 15% year-over-year, contributing to an 18% decline in the second quarter. The PC market is bleeding And as we said three months ago, all indications are that 2022 will be disastrous for the tech market, as opposed to a big recovery in 2021.

The reasons are known. The rise in energy prices due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine is pushing prices up. Whether these are real costs or speculative costs, the truth is that several regions of the world are suffering from historical inflation. To combat it, central banks raise interest rates, making mortgages more expensive. In short, we are ‘stiff’ and winter will not be easy for many families and companies.

On the other hand, production levels have not yet recovered from the shutdown due to the COVID pandemic, and supply shortages, along with higher transportation costs, have pushed up prices. Although there are good deals to be found, as you can see in the Amazon Prime Day 2022 campaign active this week, prices have certainly risen across the electronics and technology spectrum. There is also a seasonal bear period, which we will discuss later.

PC sales: another big drop

IDC expects a 15% year-on-year decline in the third quarter. Similar number to Canalys. In terms of manufacturers, Lenovo continues to lead the world market, selling nearly 17 million units, but down 16%. The situation is even worse for the second world manufacturer HP, which records a drop of 28%. The stage is completed by Dell, which is not spared from a deep drop of 21%.

ASUS climbs to fifth place, surpassing the Acer group after it sold 5.5 million units and fell “only” 7.8%. Special mention to Apple. It ranked comfortably in fourth place globally by manufacturers, selling more than 7 million units (8 million according to Canalys), representing a 40% year-on-year increase and reaching largest market share in memory: 13.5%.

Why is Apple Mac sales soaring?

It has to be said to start with the Mac sales growth part it has to do with seasonal reasons chaotic supply level. Apple was unable to meet demand last quarter and the decline in sales was huge. Most of these delayed shipments were carried over to the third quarter, hence the monumental 40% increase.

Still, there are reasons to think so Apple is limiting the global market to Windows PCs. We leave you with some of them:

• Windows PCs have risen in price and the gap with (generally more expensive) Macs has narrowed.
• Successful transition to ‘Silicon’. The replacement of Intel x86 processors for ARM is proving successful in bestsellers such as the MacBook Air with the M2 notebook, with sufficient performance and benefits such as huge autonomy.
• Long-term software support. While Microsoft has increased the hardware requirements for Windows 11 by decommissioning tens of millions of computers, Apple is offering massive support with the new macOS Monterey, which covers computers up to 2013.
• An ecosystem without comparison. If you have a Mac, there’s a good chance you also have other Apple products, such as an iPhone and/or iPad. Windows PCs have not been able to replicate the seamless integration offered by the Apple ecosystem.

Timely uploads, yes, but be careful with Apple… It has almost completed the hardware transition and all indications are that it was a success that will bring it great returns in the future through integration with software and cost reduction through in-house chip design.