Kuo: MacBook Sales Down 30% Amid No New Products for Remainder of 2023

MacBook sales have dropped significantly amid Apple's decision to launch no new Macs for the remainder of 2023, Apple supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo reports.

MacBook Air 15 Inch Feature Teal
In a new post on Medium, Kuo claimed that MacBook sales as a whole are expected to be around 30% lower this year compared to 2022, reducing to about 17 million units. He highlighted that demand for the 15-inch MacBook Air has dropped substantially following the end of the back-to-school period, revising shipment forecasts down by approximately 20% or more.

In September, Kuo reported that Apple is unlikely to release any new MacBook models with the M3 chip this year. With no new product launches for the rest of 2023, Kuo now expects MacBook shipment momentum to be significantly lower than in previous seasons. He added that declining work-from-home demand and the waning appeal of Apple silicon and mini-LED displays are also driving MacBook sales down.

Kuo believes that one reason for Apple choosing to withhold the launch of any products is to clear inventory ahead of new releases next year. Apple apparently expects the M3 series of chips to boost Mac sales in 2024, but Kuo says this is yet to be seen.

In a previous report, Kuo seemed skeptical of new MacBooks with M3 chips boosting sales. He warned that demand for these devices might still be "below expectations" due to a "lack of growth drivers." Kuo was essentially saying that Apple will no longer have the growth catalysts that it did over the past few years, such as a pandemic-driven work-from-home boost in demand or the newness of Apple silicon, which spurred many customers to upgrade from Intel-based Macs. However, given Mac and iPad sales already significantly declined in 2023, Apple will at least have more favorable year-over-year sales comparisons in 2024.

Popular Stories

iOS 26

iOS 26.4 and iOS 27 Features Revealed in New Leak

Friday December 12, 2025 10:56 am PST by
Macworld's Filipe Espósito today revealed a handful of features that Apple is allegedly planning for iOS 26.4, iOS 27, and even iOS 28. The report said the features are referenced within the code for a leaked internal build of iOS 26 that is not meant to be seen by the public. However, it appears that Espósito and/or his sources managed to gain access to it, providing us with a sneak peek...
iOS 26

iOS 26.2 Coming Soon With These 8 New Features on Your iPhone

Thursday December 11, 2025 8:49 am PST by
Apple seeded the second iOS 26.2 Release Candidate to developers earlier this week, meaning the update will be released to the general public very soon. Apple confirmed iOS 26.2 would be released in December, but it did not provide a specific date. We expect the update to be released by early next week. iOS 26.2 includes a handful of new features and changes on the iPhone, such as a new...
iOS 26

Apple Releases iOS 26.2 With Alarms for Reminders, Lock Screen Changes, Enhanced Safety Alerts and More

Friday December 12, 2025 10:10 am PST by
Apple today released iOS 26.2, the second major update to the iOS 26 operating system that came out in September, iOS 26.2 comes a little over a month after iOS 26.1 launched. ‌iOS 26‌.2 is compatible with the ‌iPhone‌ 11 series and later, as well as the second-generation ‌iPhone‌ SE. The new software can be downloaded on eligible iPhones over-the-air by going to Settings >...
AirPods Pro Firmware Feature

Apple Releases New Firmware for AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods Pro 3

Thursday December 11, 2025 11:28 am PST by
Apple today released new firmware designed for the AirPods Pro 3 and the prior-generation AirPods Pro 2. The AirPods Pro 3 firmware is 8B30, up from 8B25, while the AirPods Pro 2 firmware is 8B28, up from 8B21. There's no word on what's include in the updated firmware, but the AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods Pro 3 are getting expanded support for Live Translation in the European Union in iOS...
macOS Tahoe 26 Thumb

Apple Releases macOS Tahoe 26.2 With Edge Light

Friday December 12, 2025 10:08 am PST by
Apple today released macOS Tahoe 26.2, the second major update to the macOS Tahoe operating system that came out in September. macOS Tahoe 26.2 comes five weeks after Apple released macOS Tahoe 26.1. Mac users can download the macOS Tahoe update by using the Software Update section of System Settings. macOS Tahoe 26.2 includes Edge Light, a feature that illuminates your face with soft...
AirTag 2 Mock Feature

Apple AirTag 2: Four New Features Found in iOS 26 Code

Thursday December 11, 2025 10:31 am PST by
The AirTag 2 will include a handful of new features that will improve tracking capabilities, according to a new report from Macworld. The site says that it was able to access an internal build of iOS 26, which includes references to multiple unreleased products. Here's what's supposedly coming: An improved pairing process, though no details were provided. AirTag pairing is already...
ipados 26 1 slide over

Apple Releases iPadOS 26.2 With Multitasking Improvements

Friday December 12, 2025 10:09 am PST by
Apple today released iPadOS 26.2, the second major update to the iPadOS 26 operating system released in September. iPadOS 26.2 comes a month after iPadOS 26.1. The new software can be downloaded on eligible iPads over-the-air by going to Settings > General > Software Update. iPadOS 26.2 continues with the multitasking improvements that were added with iPadOS 26.1. You can now drag and...
bug security vulnerability issue fix larry

Update Now: iOS 26.2 Fixes 20+ Security Vulnerabilities

Friday December 12, 2025 11:11 am PST by
Apple today released iOS 26.2, iPadOS 26.2, and macOS 26.2, all of which introduce new features, bug fixes, and security improvements. Apple says that the updates address over 20 vulnerabilities, including two bugs that are known to have been actively exploited. There are a pair of WebKit vulnerabilities that could allow maliciously crafted web content to execute code or cause memory...

Top Rated Comments

Light Focus Avatar
28 months ago
I'm not sure but I think 8+256 base config in 2023 and insane upgrade cost will put some people off
Score: 73 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Jim Lahey Avatar
28 months ago
I imagine most buyers are getting sick to the back teeth of being mugged off with the extortionate extra costs of choosing something other than decade-old memory and storage options. Made worse by the drop in read/write performance of a single 256GB chip vs. the parallelism of 512+
Score: 57 Votes (Like | Disagree)
6787872 Avatar
28 months ago
too much money for ram/storage specs from 15 years ago
Score: 52 Votes (Like | Disagree)
abatabia Avatar
28 months ago
There’s only so much mileage to be gotten out of these minor spec bumps before it might affect things. Also the M1 Mac’s were that good. My M1 MBA is my favorite MacBook of all time.
Score: 29 Votes (Like | Disagree)
StoneJack Avatar
28 months ago
1. Generally, economy is bad everywhere in the world, so pc sales are tanking everywhere,
2. M1 and M2 are still very good CPUs, no need to upgrade to M3 very soon,
3. Relatively costly with meager starting 8/256 offer, compared to Windows/Linux/Chromebook/Samsung Dex offerings.
4. End of pandemic, gradual return to offices, computers bought in the pandemic era are still good,
5. iPhone and iPads with USB-C are becoming powerful enough to replace PC and Macs in some cases,
6. No AAA gaming on Macs yet
7. Newer OS versions do not offer anything substantial new,
8. Slow progress of M chips.

Generally, I think these are the factors, influencing the Mac sales right now.
Score: 25 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Rradcircless Avatar
28 months ago
Terrible economies across the world, with Apple’s premium pricing? And releasing new models every year? Everybody already has a MacBook or don’t want to invest in one right now.
Score: 22 Votes (Like | Disagree)