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Lenovo outsold Apple by a wide margin in the cited PC shipment tables, but Apple—not Lenovo—grew faster year over year in both reported 2026 quarters. The difference is scale versus momentum: Lenovo held the larger market share, while Apple posted stronger growth rates.
Lenovo or Apple: which PC vendor is ahead?
Lenovo was the global leader by shipments and market share in the cited figures. Apple ranked fourth in Gartner’s worldwide first-quarter table. The two companies’ year-over-year growth rates tell a different story from their relative size.
| Period and source | Lenovo | Apple | What it shows |
|---|---|---|---|
| Q1 2026, Gartner preliminary worldwide channel-shipment estimate | 16.645 million units; 26.5% share; shipments up 9.5% year over year | 6.684 million units; 10.6% share; shipments up 12.7% year over year | Lenovo shipped about 2.5 times as many PCs, but Apple grew faster by percentage. Gartner estimated 62.8 million total shipments, up 4% year over year. Gartner’s Q1 2026 PC shipment table |
| Q2 2026, IDC figures reported by 9to5Mac | 24.4% share; shipments down 2.1% year over year | 9.9% share; shipments up 10.1% year over year | Lenovo retained a much larger share, while Apple grew as the worldwide market contracted. Total shipments fell 4.9% to 68.2 million. 9to5Mac’s report of IDC’s Q2 figures |
| Q4 2025, Lenovo Investor Relations | Record global PC share of 24.4%, up 1.3 percentage points year over year | not stated (Lenovo Investor Relations) | Lenovo said this was its largest lead in 15 years. Lenovo’s Q4 share announcement |
| Lenovo Q3 FY25/26 results release | 24.9% calendar-year share and 25.2% quarterly share, as reported by Lenovo | not stated (Lenovo Investor Relations) | These are Lenovo-reported figures, not a like-for-like vendor comparison. Lenovo’s Q3 FY25/26 results |
“Outpaces” is accurate if it means shipments or share; it is misleading if it means percentage growth in these quarters. A vendor can remain far larger while a smaller rival grows faster because the growth rates apply to very different starting shipment totals.
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Gartner estimated Q1 2026 worldwide shipments at 62.8 million, 4% higher than a year earlier, but said the increase was inflated by vendors and distributors building inventory ahead of anticipated price hikes.
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Gartner Research Principal Rishi Padhi said the growth “was artificially inflated” and was “not due to genuine demand,” citing inventory increases before expected Q2 price rises linked to rapidly rising memory prices and DRAM and NAND flash costs. Gartner’s Q1 market commentary
That distinction matters: shipments into distribution channels are not the same as purchases by end users. The Q1 increase therefore should not be read on its own as proof that consumers and businesses suddenly wanted more PCs. The cited figures describe shipment activity and inventory timing, not a direct count of final customer demand.
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What explains Apple’s faster growth?
The MacBook Neo launch coincided with Apple’s share gains in the reported 2026 quarters. IDC, as quoted by 9to5Mac, said Apple’s share gain coincided with the launch and that Apple remained well positioned against competitors facing similar cost pressures, despite raising prices in line with the broader market. 9to5Mac’s report of IDC’s MacBook Neo assessment
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1Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors2Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute3Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsThe available figures support a connection between the launch and Apple’s gains, but do not quantify how many shipments the product itself added. The Q1 and Q2 comparisons also cover whole-vendor shipments, not a product-by-product breakdown.
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How memory costs and pricing affect the comparison
Both vendors operate amid rising memory and storage component costs, but the cited evidence does not establish a comparable cost increase, margin impact, or PC price change for Lenovo and Apple individually. Gartner tied expected Q2 price hikes to memory inflation and DRAM and NAND costs; IDC’s reported comment noted that Apple raised prices in line with the broader market.
Inventory built before anticipated increases can lift a quarter’s shipments without indicating a durable rise in demand. It can also shift purchases between quarters. The Q2 market decline alongside Apple’s growth illustrates why market-wide shipment direction and an individual vendor’s performance should be considered separately.
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Examples of the companies’ current PC lineups
Lenovo’s examples include the ThinkPad T14s Gen 7, a business notebook the company describes as lightweight, with a 58Wh battery and serviceability-by-design; the ThinkCentre Neo 50q; and the Legion 7a Gen11. Apple’s MacBook Neo is the launch associated with its reported share gains. Product availability and pricing can vary by market and change over time.
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