SAN FRANCISCO — Apple keeps defying a PC industry trend: While other major computer-makers saw shipments fall in 2015, Apple increased the number of Macs it shipped worldwide last year, according to estimates from two research firms last week.
The industry’s total PC shipments have been declining for four years, as consumers wait longer to buy new models, and many turn to smartphones or tablets instead. Even last summer’s release of Windows 10 — Microsoft’s new operating software — failed to boost overall sales.
Manufacturers shipped a total of 288.7 million PCs last year, down 8 percent from 2014, according to researchers at Gartner. Analysts at International Data Corp., using different methodology, put the total at 276 million and the decline at 10.4 percent.
Apple, however, saw an increase of 6 percent, both firms estimated. While other major PC makers have seen ups and downs, Apple alone has enjoyed gains in each of the past three years.
Big manufacturers such as Lenovo, HP and Dell still sell far more computers than Apple. Industry leader Lenovo shipped 57 million PCs last year, while estimates for Apple are just under 21 million.
Still, analysts say Apple benefits from its reputation as a premium brand in the United States and Europe. It also has been making inroads in Asia. Gartner analyst Mikako Kitagawa noted that Apple has been opening retail stores in China, which is now the world’s second-largest PC market.
Experts trace the PC industry’s slump to the introduction of more powerful smartphones and tablets in recent years. Even Apple saw a slight decline in Mac shipments in 2012, when some buyers opted for iPads instead. The slump also has hurt chipmakers such as Intel and other companies that make PC components, and it has forced software makers to redesign their products for smaller, mobile devices.
Nearly every major PC maker now makes tablets as well. Lenovo also has moved into smartphones, buying the Motorola phone business from Google in 2014. But tablet and smartphone sales also are slowing, because more people already own them.
Industry hopes now turn to new “hybrid” computers, or tablets with detachable keyboards, which are touted as combining the best features of PCs and tablets. Sales of those devices are small but growing.
IDC analyst Jay Chou said his firm expects that industrywide shipments of traditional PCs will fall 3 percent this year, but the addition of hybrids could turn the total into an increase of 1 percent.
Analysts also blamed last year’s weak PC numbers on economic weakness in Asia and the end of a 2014 buying surge that followed Microsoft’s decision to end support for Windows XP. An expected boost from the new Windows 10 was undercut by Microsoft’s decision to give free software upgrades to owners of older machines.