Apple’s strategic approach to AI computers (the Mac) is a distinct one

This should be good news for Apple’s new M4-equipped Macs: the latest Canalys data shows that AI-capable PC shipments hit 13.3 million units in the third quarter (Q3) of 2024, accounting for 20% of all PC shipments during the quarter. 

AI-capable PCs are defined as desktops and notebooks that include a chipset or block for dedicated AI workloads such as an NPU. The ramp-up in the availability of such devices led to a sequential growth of 49% for this new category of PCs, according to Canalys. 

Windows devices accounted for a majority of AI-capable PC shipments for the first time, capturing a 53% share. However, things look upbeat for the Mac.

“Apple’s strategic approach in this landscape is distinct,” says Canalys Analyst Kieren Jessop. “It is leveraging its vertically integrated ecosystem to create features that do not need to directly compete with Microsoft’s suite of productivity tools such as Copilot Pro for Microsoft 365, which is compatible with macOS. Apple can instead focus its differentiation at the hardware and OS level, positioning itself against Windows manufacturers in an effort to make market share gains during the ongoing refresh cycle.” 

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