Apple (AAPL, Financials) dominated the AI-capable PC market in the fourth quarter of 2024, capturing 54% of the segment as overall shipments surged to 15.4 million units, accounting for 23% of total PC shipments during the period, according to Canalys, now part of Omdia.

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Driven by Apple's aggressive price approach for older Mac models and rising adoption ahead of the Windows 10 end-of-support date, the AI-capable PC market recorded an 18% sequential rise.

With Apple dominating the market, followed by Lenovo (LNVGY, Financials), each having a 12% share, AI-capable PCs accounted for 17% of worldwide PC sales for the whole year. Desktops and laptops with chipsets meant for AI tasks, including neural processing units, characterize AI-capable PCs. ?

Apple's channel approach has helped to support its commercial momentum. Set to start later this year, the next Apple Partner Network is meant to increase the business footprint by streamlining partner levels and providing better customer service. Released on Mac, iPad, and iPhone platforms, Apple's AI-powered software improvements help to reinforce its position in the PC market capable of artificial intelligence.

Rivals are changing their approach in parallel. With its Lunar Lake CPUs, Intel (INTC, Financials) is aiming for the premium level; AMD (AMD, Financials) is straddling the mid-range and high-end markets. X-series processors from Qualcomm (QCOM, Financials) are being pushed into more reasonably priced laptops in the $600 range. ??

According to Canalys statistics, the Windows 10 end-of-support transition is still a primary upgrade driver. With most business upgrades planned in the second half of the year, a January poll of channel partners revealed one-third mentioned the deadline as the main motivation for PC refreshes in 2025.

Trade policies, however, might upset the equilibrium. The 10% tariff imposed by the Trump government on Chinese imports is generating pricing uncertainty in the United States, the biggest PC market in the world, therefore maybe influencing customer demand and refresh cycles.