Drop in Demand for Apple’s M4 iPad Pro Blamed on High Prices, Global Mac shipments fell 17.5%, Unreleased M4 MacBook Pro Appears on Russian site

Highlights

• The M4 iPad Pro is seeing a decline in demand.
• Could be due to significant price hikes for the 13-inch model.
• Apple’s global Mac shipments have dropped by 17.5% year-over-year.
• Leaks suggest exciting updates for the M4 MacBook Pro and Mac Mini.
• Unreleased M4 MacBook Pro spotted on Russian site for sale.

Apple’s M4 iPad Pro launched earlier this year with notable feature upgrades is seeing a sharp decline in demand. According to a recent report, the significant price hike for the new models appears to be a key factor behind demand drop.

13-Inch iPad Pro Faces Greater Demand Drop Than 11-Inch Model

Ross Young a supply chain analyst from DSCC highlighted the the slowing demand for Apple M4 iPad Pro in a newly published report.

The demand for the iPad Pro models seemed promising initially. However, a closer look at display panel shipments tells a different story with the numbers showing a major reduction indicating lower-than-expected sales.

Young had initially forecasted up to 10 million panel shipments for 2024. However, with slowing demand in Q3 and expected slowdowns in Q4, it now appears that the actual shipments may end up closer to 7 million.

The 13-inch iPad Pro starting at $1,299 is considered to be the reason for this decline compared to the 11-inch model. It also doesn’t offer as significant an upgrade as the 11-inch that now features an OLED display.

Global Mac Shipments Drop Ahead of M4 Mac Launch

Meanwhile, a market intelligence report shows that Apple’s global Mac shipments have also seen a drop.

It has fallen by 17.5% year-over-year in the last quarter.

As per Canalys, total Q3 shipments of 66.4M units is up 1.3% year-on-year.

“Notebook shipments (including mobile workstations) reached 53.5 million units, up 2.8%, while desktop shipments (including desktop workstations) contracted 4.6% to 12.9 million units […] Although growth in Q3 was modest, the PC market recovery is now well underway with a number of positive signals indicating stronger performance in the coming quarters,” the report mentons.

Apple’s Mac shipments fell from 6.2 million in Q3 2023 to 5.1 million this year, reducing its market share from 9.5% to 7.7%.

As per reports, the decline is most likely due to consumers delaying purchases as they wait for the upcoming M4 Macs. The upcoming M4 Macs are expected to be announced by Apple soon.

The report writes, “Apple is expected to begin unveiling their M4 Mac lineup as soon as this month, with updates to the iMac, MacBook Pro, and Mac mini to start off the new M4 transition. Although the event will probably be held this month, the new Macs aren’t expected to ship until November 1st.”

M4 MacBook Pro and Mac Mini Leaks Hint at Exciting Updates

The M4 MacBook Pro and Mac Mini have been the subject of numerous leaks. The new MacBook Pro base model is expected to feature a 10-core CPU (up from 8 cores), 16GB of memory and three Thunderbolt 4 ports.

There’s also speculation that the Mac Mini will undergo a major size reduction, potentially shrinking to a form factor similar to the Apple TV box.

In a more unusual development, several units of the M4 MacBook Pro reportedly appeared on a Russian classified ads site before being taken down.

Photos and an unboxing video of what seemed to be the 14-inch base model were shared showing 16GB unified memory, a 512GB SSD, and the previously reported three Thunderbolt 4 ports. The ad listed the machine at 720,000 rubles, or about $7,400, well above its expected retail price.

The ad on Avito was asking 720,000 rubles, which is around $7,400.

“Moreover, apparently, there was not one laptop on sale, but several. The price in rubles was stated as 720,000, but with a note that it changes every day and it is better to check. At the moment, the ad has already been removed, since according to the rules of the site it is forbidden to sell “non-existent” goods.”

These leaks further fuel speculation that Apple will unveil the M4 MacBook Pro at the end of the month, with sales possibly starting by November 1.

FAQs

Q1. Why is the demand for the M4 iPad Pro declining?

Answer. The significant price hike for the new models appears to be a key factor behind demand drop.

Q2. How much has Apple’s global Mac shipments dropped year-over-year?

Answer. Apple’s global Mac shipments have fallen by 17.5% year-over-year in the last quarter.

Q3. What exciting updates are expected for the M4 MacBook Pro and Mac Mini?

Answer. The new MacBook Pro base model is expected to feature a 10-core CPU, 16GB of memory, and three Thunderbolt 4 ports. The Mac Mini may undergo a major size reduction.