Apple to achieve record share in Mac, iPhone, iPad, in 2026

While most of the industry struggles and despite the AI-driven tech price hike, 

Apple will gain market share across its smartphone, PC, tablet and smartwatch segments in 2026, according to Counterpoint Research’s Apple 360 Service.

Unique, resilient, and loyal

Research Director Tarun Pathak said,

“This year defines Apple’s unique resilience within the industry. The multi-segment market share gains also mean a compounding impact on the company’s ecosystem strength. Apple is still gaining new users across categories, and it will become increasingly difficult for competitors to make an Apple user switch to their operating system.”

Not everything seems so rosy.

The analysts anticipate that iPhone shipments will stay flat, despite iPhone Ultra. That’s not such bad news given they predict most vendors will see market share decline – they note that Apple’s premium customers are less sensitive to price increases, and expect iPhone 17 will continue to sell strongly pending its own update next year.

iPad and Mac

Apple’s Mac shipments in 2026 will grow 23% YoY, while the overall laptop market will decline 11%, they said. Within iPad and Mac as well, Apple’s share will reach its highest ever in 2026.

The overall tablet market will also decline in 2026, but Apple is expected to grow, driven by an ongoing refresh cycle across its iPad portfolio and continued demand from emerging markets. New iPad models later this year should help generate additional interest.

Commenting on the role of Apple Intelligence, Principal Analyst Varun Mishra noted, “Apple holds the most important key, the user touchpoint across the most used devices on the planet. If delivered, a personalized Apple Intelligence will act as a strong ecosystem differentiator and unlock a new multi-device upgrade cycle for Apple.”

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