Surveys: iPhones and Macs sales reach good numbers in the fourth quarter of 2016

The time has come to look at how Apple devices are performing (in sales) in their markets.

Yesterday, we learned that AirPods newbies already have great numbers and that they are out ahead of even Beats wireless headphones. The race in the smartphones and computers is a little more complicated, but it seems that Apple has done well in them in recent months.

According to a survey by Kantar Worldpanel, the iPhone market grew 6.4% from September to November 2016 in the United States. The presence of iOS continues to be less than that of devices with the Android system in the places where the research was carried out, however there was growth of iOS in most of them, mainly in the “pre-Christmas” period, when three models of iPhones reached the top of sales.

The iPhone 7, iPhone 7 Plus and iPhone 6s were the three most popular smartphones in the US at the beginning of the holiday period, totaling a 31.3% share. The Samsung Galaxy S7 and S7 edge were the fourth and fifth best sellers in the U.S., with Samsung capturing 28.9% of smartphone sales.

Kantar Smartphone Sales

In Britain, the sales figures for iPhones skyrocketed, reaching an increase of 9.1% compared to the same period in 2015. Still there, Windows Phone had a drop of 7%, which may be directly related to the increase in iOS across the region.

However, despite the fact that the market favored the iPhone in the USA, Britain, France and Australia, there was a fall in Germany and China. In the latter, Android devices achieved 7.2% growth, even though the iPhone 7 topped the list of best-selling devices in urban China – followed by the Oppo R9.

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If the iPhone is between highs and lows in countries, Mac sales appear to be holding steady, even though the market as a whole is on a tightrope.

THE Gartner reported that during the fourth quarter of 2016, Apple managed to sell around 5.4 million Macs worldwide. Comparing this number with the previous year, when the company sold 5.3 million, there was an estimated growth of 2.4%. In this last quarter of 2016, Apple managed to capture 7.5% of the market, slightly more than in 2015, when it reached 7%.

Gartner's worldwide PC sales estimate for the fourth quarter of 2016Gartner’s worldwide PC sales estimate for the fourth quarter of 2016

Lenovo, HP and Dell remain at the top of global sales – and continue to grow, just like the previous year. ASUS was ahead of Apple by a small difference in number of sales; in percentage, it was equal to the Apple with 7.5% of the market, a fall of 8.5% in relation to 2015.

Global computer sales reached 72.6 million units during the fourth quarter of 2016, down 3.7% from the previous year’s fourth quarter. Total sales for the year were 269.7 million, down 6.2% compared to 2015. Apple estimates it sold around 18.6 million Macs in 2016, against 20.3 million in 2015. That means that the entire computer market is falling – and there seems to be a plausible explanation for that.

Stagnation in the computer market continued in the fourth quarter of 2016, as “pre-Christmas” sales were weak due to changing buyer behavior. The large computer market has been static, as technological improvements have not been sufficient to provide real market growth.

Even innovations in formats such as 2-in-1 notebooks and some thinner and lighter ones appeared; there have also been technological improvements such as increased battery life. This market has grown rapidly even for its committed users. However, the increase provided by enthusiasts is not large enough to drive growth in the global market.

–Mikako Kitagawa, principal analyst at Gartner.

Estimated US sales of Gartner PCs in the fourth quarter of 2016Estimated US sales of Gartner PCs in the fourth quarter of 2016

In the United States, there are another five hundred; Apple manages to do very well there. In the fourth quarter of 2016, the company managed to sell 2.1 million computers, reaching 12.8% of the market. In comparison with the previous year, there was an increase of 6.4%.

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Regarding worldwide sales, there is still a small difference in the numbers of another data analysis firm, IDC. According to her, the number referring to the fourth quarter of 2016 for the sale of PCs is 70.2 million and, of Macs, 5.26 million. Unlike Gartner, IDC saw a 0.9% drop in the market for Apple.

The real figures on Apple’s performance, we will know as soon as it reveals its next financial results, on January 31st.

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