Sales of Macs compared to iPhones and iPads (Mac sales are going nowhere)

[trs96]

Just saw this graphic today. Year after year Mac sales (gray area) lag way behind iPads and are dwarfed by iPhone sales. Remember that the "Mac category includes all laptops, iMacs, Mac pros and Mac Minis. The iPhone is the cash cow that keeps on producing year after year without slowing down. The best part of the low numbers for Mac sales is that Apple completely ignores the hackintosh community and lets it continue to thrive. Now we just have to hope that they don't kill off the Mac entirely. We should be safe for a while but one day those little gray areas will completely disappear once whatever replaces the iPhone comes along. Maybe AR glasses ? Those could take over all the functions of your phone, iPad and Apple TV all at the same time. I'd guess this will happen in about 10 or more years from now. No more keyboards, mice, LED monitors etc. etc. anyone still using these things will be compared a Model T driver racing in the Indy 500 or at least a writer still using a mechanical typewriter.

 

[UtterDisbelief]

Just saw this graphic today. Year after year Mac sales (gray area) lag way behind iPads and are dwarfed by iPhone sales. Remember that the "Mac category includes all laptops, iMacs, Mac pros and Mac Minis. The iPhone is the cash cow that keeps on producing year after year without slowing down. The best part of the low numbers for Mac sales is that Apple completely ignores the hackintosh community and lets it continue to thrive. Now we just have to hope that they don't kill off the Mac entirely. We should be safe for a while but one day those little gray areas will completely disappear once whatever replaces the iPhone comes along. Maybe AR glasses ? Those could take over all the functions of your phone, iPad and Apple TV all at the same time. I'd guess this will happen in about 10 or more years from now. No more keyboards, mice, LED monitors etc. etc. anyone still using these things will be compared a Model T driver racing in the Indy 500 or at least a writer still using a mechanical typewriter.

View attachment 372641

Interesting statistics

I wonder how the bare numbers of desktop sales compare with other companies? Could it be that even though the numbers are relatively small, when compared with tablets and phones, the sales of Apple desktops are still very large in comparison with other PC manufacturers output? A bit like a large car company producing a line of sports-cars alongside their family saloons. The numbers are relatively small but as market-share for the vehicle type, might be quite large etc.

As for the future, I wonder how tech companies expect journalists, writers and authors, mathematicians and accountants to work without a keyboard and monitor? Technology may be advancing at a frightening rate but the human hand and it's ten digits hasn't changed in millions of years

 

[trs96]

Here's the global and USA PC sales from 3 years ago. Interesting that Apple (Macs) don't even make the Global Sales chart on the left side. I wonder how much they make up of the "other" category. I'd say that it's the excessively high Mac prices outside of the USA that hurt sales once you add all the taxes for each country etc.

 

[UtterDisbelief]

Another very interesting set of stats Thank you for posting.

I'm guessing here but would imagine the iMac is the most popular Mac. If that's the case, and we are comparing PCs sold with monitors, shows that 3rd place in the US is pretty impressive.

And you are spot on with the taxes outside the US. Here in the UK it's 20% on top of list. (The UK site does include VAT in the shown price). I also suspect that most PC sales in the UK are probably laptops, with corporate PCs nowadays tending to be smart-terminals rather than proper PCs - except in the design fields where Apple is still appreciated but being nibbled at by cheaper and more powerful Windows PCs.

I guess this must be the same elsewhere.

So maybe the US sales keep Apple producing desktops and for global it's just to maintain a presence?

I am worried now that Apple has taken away the desktop synching of iPhones using iTunes (for general use. I know about Apple Configurator etc) that maybe the end of a desktop box is in sight. Hope not though...

 

[trs96]

I'm guessing here but would imagine the iMac is the most popular Mac. If that's the case, and we are comparing PCs sold with monitors, shows that 3rd place in the US is pretty impressive.

Mac sales were down 13% year over year in 2018 so that is not a good sign. MacBook Pros are by far the largest sellers in terms of unit sales. Too bad they keep raising the prices on those to levels that most people cannot afford.

From Cult of Mac

Apple now has the most expensive Mac line-up it’s ever had. Starting with the 2016 MacBook Pro, which dramatically increased prices over previous generations, and continuing with the launch of the iMac Pro in 2017. The 2018 MacBook Pro refresh fell outside Q3, but it’s the trend line that’s important in the bigger picture.

You can, today, spend close to $7,000 on a top-spec MacBook Pro. You can spend almost twice as much on a maxed-out iMac Pro. And one thing is certain: those sky-high prices include Apple’s usual generous margins.

 

[nicksoph]

Found this - looks like the same site - gives the annual worldwide mac sales
https://www.statista.com/statistics/276308/global-apple-mac-sales-since-fiscal-year-2002/

Edit - sry its a pay site - and it seems you dont get much if you dont subscribe

 

[minihack]

If those stat.s are Mac 'units', then the fact that the prices are pretty astronomical right now means that Apple are still making a very significant amount of money from their computer lineup. No wonder they are not interested in being price competitive with PCs when they can make such margins.