During the global pandemic, Apple went through a supply chain crisis which caused its shipments to decline. Supply disruptions affected almost every major company around the globe.

The issue persists because of the global recession and a looming nuclear war, but Apple has managed to outperform Windows PCs. Its global market share for computers has increased dramatically in the third quarter of 2022.

As PC hardware becomes increasingly expensive, the iPhone maker's success with Apple silicon Macs and long-term software support could be a few reasons why it is doing better than everyone else.

Apple Is Outperforming Windows PC Makers

A Mac and a Windows Laptop Placed Side-by-Side on a White Surface

Due to COVID-driven lockdowns in China, Apple faced shipment delays in the second quarter of 2022, which caused Mac shipments to decline by 20%.

According to data released by IDC, Apple's Mac supply grew by 40.2%. As per the same source, Lenovo saw a year-on-year decline of 16%, and Dell's annual growth fell by 21.2%.

Canalys also reported that Apple is the only company that showed an increase in shipments in Q3 2022, as it sold over 8 million units.

A major reason Apple performed better than its competitors in Q3 2022 is that most of the shipments from Q2 2022 had to be moved to Q3 2022 due to supply chain problems.

Another plausible reason behind the increase could be the redesigned M2 MacBook Air that Apple launched in July 2022. The MacBook Air has been Apple's most affordable and best-selling notebook for a long time, so it's no wonder an M2 upgrade for the model would bump the sales.

5 Reasons Apple's Macs Are Dominating the PC Market

Windows PCs are currently lagging behind Apple's Macs, and there's no doubt that the latter will continue to dominate the market. Below, we'll list the five reasons why Apple's Macs are outperforming Windows PCs:

1. PC Hardware Is Getting Expensive

rtx 4090 and 4080 gpus together
Image Credit: Nvidia

If you try to build a PC today, you'll quickly realize that it's far from cheap. PC parts have always been expensive, but their prices have become exorbitantly high due to global supply chain shortages,

There are many reasons why graphics cards are so absurdly expensive right now. Global chip shortage and inflation have made it virtually impossible to find GPUs at a reasonable price.

DDR5 RAM was being sold for over a thousand dollars at the beginning of 2022 when it came out, though the price has now decreased. You'd also have to spend an extra hundred dollars for a motherboard that's compatible with your DDR5 RAM.

2. Successful Transition to Apple Silicon

MacBook Pro and iPhone on a table

Apple silicon refers to a series of chips made by Apple for Macs. These chips replaced the Intel processors that Macs had been using for years. Apple released the first MacBook Pro with Apple silicon (the M1 chip) in late 2020.

Fast forward to 2022, and Mac's transition to Apple silicon is now complete. Developers and casual users seem happy with it, as the new M1 and M2 models perform significantly better than Windows PCs in their class.

3. Macs Deliver Unmatched Battery Life

Yes, the jokes about iPhones dying all the time are funny, but when it comes to the battery life of a Mac, it lasts much longer than a Windows PC. The new Macs with the M1 and M2 chips last well over 10 hours (the M2 MacBook Pro lasts 18 hours!), while most Windows PCs only last eight.

Windows laptops with Intel processors seem to suffer the most, as some don't even last five hours. Laptops with comparable battery life, such as the Dell Latitude 9410, don't do as well in terms of speed and performance while unplugged, which defeats the purpose of having longer battery life.

4. Long-Term Software Support From Apple

macOS update to Monterey

To run Windows 11 on your PC, you need an 8th-generation Intel Core CPU or AMD Ryzen 2000-series or above. These chips were released in early 2018, which means if you have a PC that's older than that, you won't be able to run Windows 11 on it, and installing it using unofficial ways might be challenging for a casual user.

On the other hand, Apple's latest stable release, macOS Monterey, can run on Macs dating back to 2013—how impressive is that? The company also releases security and stability updates for Macs than can run older versions, such as macOS Catalina and macOS Big Sur.

5. The Apple Ecosystem Is Unmatched

Apple Products Placed on a White Table

If you own a Mac, there's a good chance you also have other Apple products, such as the iPhone and the iPad. Windows PCs haven't been able to replicate the seamless integration Apple's ecosystem offers.

You can easily AirDrop a video from your iPhone to your Mac, copy the text from your Mac and paste it on your iPhone, take a screenshot on your Mac and annotate it using your iPad, and even unlock your Mac with your Apple Watch. This tight integration of Apple devices makes your workflow faster and smoother.

Apple Just Does It Better

The numbers don't lie. Apple is outperforming its competitors, and it's the only company in the PC market that seems to be doing well. Even amid war and global recession, the Cupertino giant managed to sell over 8 million units.

With new models like the Mac Studio and the M2 MacBook Air, Apple has nearly completed its transition to Apple silicon, with the Mac Pro being the only model due for an upgrade. And when the time comes, it's safe to say that it will be even more difficult for Windows PC makers to compete with Apple.