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The Windows AI laptop market is slowly getting more options but will the M-series Apple Macs have a bigger say in the market?
The Windows AI laptop market is growing but will the Macs have the final laugh?
The Windows-powered AI PC segment is getting a full push from different vendors which has resulted in a higher number of units shipped in the last few quarters. The launch of Snapdragon X-powered and the new Intel Lunar Lake processor models come with the Copilot + branding and features that will run you into the future. However, the biggest challenge for this segment comes from Apple M-series Macs that continue to pace forward, at least in terms of the performance levels.
PC Market Rising Up But Will It Last?
The latest report from Canalys suggests AI PC shipments have gone over 13 million units in Q3 2024 out of which 20 percent were shipped in the given period. But you could also highlight the lack of new Mac launches till October, which may have helped brands like Lenovo, Asus, HP and more to push their products aggressively.
The Q4 2024 quarter will clearly show us the impact of the new M4-powered MacBook Pro models and also the fact that Apple is now selling the older M2 and M3 MacBook Air with 16GB RAM without any hike in prices. Most of the high-powered Windows AI laptops are currently retailing at well over Rs 1.10 lakh which makes it a tough sell in markets like India, where the average selling price for a laptop is still in the mid Rs 50,000 range.
Early Days
The lack of AI applications on these laptops will definitely be an issue for people spending big on laptops, which they plan to use for at least 5 to 6 years if not more. There has been this notion that a Windows laptop cannot run that long, which is why people are happy to splurge on a MacBook and AppleCare+ because they know the returns will be justified.
But over the years, the quality of the Windows laptops have gone up, and along with that the prices, which sometimes makes for tough reading. And when the question comes about spending Rs 1 lakh + on a laptop, most people are happy to do that for a Mac, less so, on a Windows PC. Having said that, the price of a MacBook has also gone up significantly over the years, which should somehow narrow the gap in these decisions.
The AI applications need to come quickly for these AI PCs to become a strong alternative to the Macs and make people feel that Windows 11 is equally capable if not more reliable than its counterparts. That’s not all, Microsoft has a window of opportunity coming its way with the Windows 10 support cycle ending in 2025, and that’s where the credibility of these new AI PCs and their value will come to the forefront.
