MacBook Pro and MacBook Air combine to account for a staggering 90% of Apple’s Mac sales. That’s according to a new report Wednesday about best-selling Macs from Consumer Intelligence Research Partners (CIRP).
The laptops’ dominant popularity over desktop Macs has long been evident. But the new report showing 2023 data really puts an exclamation point on it.
Best-selling Macs: MacBook Pro and MacBook Air make up 90% of Apple’s Mac sales
iPhone may be Apple’s biggest business line when it comes to earnings. But MacBooks dominate its computer sales to an amazing degree, new CIRP research showed.
MacBook Pro and MacBook Air, by far the best-selling Macs, account for 90% of Apple’s computer sales in the United States.
In addition, MacBook Pro models make up a little more than half of total sales. MacBook Air models capture 39%.
Among the iPhone giant’s top-selling desktop computers, iMac captures 4% of total sales, with and Mac Pro at 3%. And that means Mac mini and Mac Studio grab even lower sales shares, roughly 1% apiece. See the second chart below.
Buyers prefer the bigger laptops
Photo: CIRP
CIRP organized its findings on laptop sales by display size, noting that screen size is foremost on consumers’ minds when making a purchase. It said “almost half or more of consumers buy the larger form factor” (16-inch MacBook Pro and 15-inch MacBook Air; see chart above).
CIRP speculated about consumer choices and Apple sales strategy:
“We theorize that increasingly compact laptops, with smaller screen bezels and thinner, lighter chassis, make the larger screen models more practical and accessible,” it said. “These 15- and 16-inch laptops are positively svelte compared to their bulky ancestors.”
Computers aren’t going away anytime soon
Photo: CIRP
The group also showed some optimism for the continued profitability of computers.
“This preference may help explain why Apple continues to feature laptops,” it said. “Besides its origins as a computer manufacturer and the role these computers play in the overall hardware, software and services ecosystem, there’s still significant revenue and profit in computers.”
And CIRP gave most of the credit for that to the larger laptops among the best-selling Macs.
“The larger form factors actually drive revenue and profits,” it noted. “In the same way that Apple encourages customers to upgrade iPhone and iPad storage, the larger form factor and display size presumably boost margin, as the added component costs are more than covered by increased prices.”
Source: CIRP