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According to a new market research report, Apple is likely to become the market leader in all-in-one PCs (AIOs) with the launch of the 24-inch M1 iMac this year. Apple could overtake HP, partly due to the appeal of the new iMac, but also partly due to Apple's lead in the chip supply chain.
HP has achieved its success in AIO PCs through a combination of a good range of sizes, stylish design and an extremely affordable price. For example, the HP 24-inch AIO offers an AMD Athlon processor, a 1920×1080 display, 8GB of RAM and a 256GB SSD. For many, that's enough for everyday computing needs. So the sleek design with thin bezels at an extremely affordable price has made it a popular choice. But HP also offers higher-end AIOs in the form of 27-inch Pavilion and 34-inch Envy models with curved screens. However, the PC maker has been hit hard by the global chip shortage, so it's struggling to meet demand.
Chip shortage: High-end products are preferred
Apple, of course, has the advantage of using TSMC to manufacture its own M1 processors and has the clout and operational know-how to have negotiated exclusive supply of many other chips. Combined with other suppliers focusing on higher-spec, higher-margin chips, this puts the Cupertino company in a much better position than most. According to a paid report from Digitimes, this should put Apple overtaking HP in the AIO market. is called it:
As chip and component suppliers focus their shipments primarily on high-end products such as the iMac, Apple is likely to overtake HP as the top all-in-one (AIO) PC vendor.
iMac & iPad: Apple warns of supply bottlenecks
However, Apple will not remain immune to the chip shortage. The company explained already knows that it has made it through the first quarter (Apple's fiscal Q2) safely, but sees bottlenecks in the future. Apple's CEO Tim Cook commented as follows:
We didn't have a material supply shortage in Q2. At the end, all the buffers and offsets collapse. That happens all the way through the supply chain. That allows you to go a little bit higher than what we expected going into the quarter. The supply shortages in fiscal Q3 will primarily impact the Mac and iPad product lineup. We expect to be guided by supply, not demand.
An Apple Silicon successor to the 27-inch iMac is expected at the end of the year. It could be up to 32 inches in size and possibly feature a new generation of the M1 chip. (Image: Apple)
