GoKawiilA new report from Counterpoint Research predicts that Apple will gain market share across four major product categories this year, setting new records in three of them. Here are the details.
Apple poised to outperform the broader market in several segments
According to the report, Apple is set to hit record market share in smartphones, laptops, and tablets in 2026, with the Apple Watch also set to grow for the year.
The figures show the iPad’s market share growing from 35% in 2025 to 39% in 2026, the iPhone gaining two percentage points to reach 25%, and the Apple Watch and Mac each gaining three points, reaching 23% and 12%, respectively.
Counterpoint attributes these gains to Apple being better positioned than its rivals to weather rising memory prices, and adds that the company is expected to reach a record 25% share of the smartphone market even as iPhone shipments remain flat for the year:
Apple’s iPhone shipments are likely to remain flat in 2026, while most of the other key OEMs will see double-digit declines. OEMs have to resort to price increases to sustain margins, but Apple has not raised iPhone prices yet. Premium segments have higher margins and can absorb more price shocks. At the same time, affluent consumers are less affected by price increases. Moreover, the iPhone 18 Pro series is expected to perform better than the iPhone 17 Pro series, and the iPhone 17 model is likely to continue its strong run in the absence of the iPhone 18 in 2026. As a result, Apple will reach its highest-ever share in the smartphone market in 2026 at around 25%.
The report was published just one day before Apple raised prices across several product categories, though the iPhone and the Apple Watch were spared for now. Apple says it is “working tirelessly” to find solutions to the component shortage, while also signaling that further price increases may be ahead.
Back to the report, Counterpoint noted that while the tablet market is also set to register a decline for the year “due to inventory correction and memory shortages,” new base iPad and iPad mini models are set to help Apple “maintain consumer interest across multiple price tiers and better withstand the demand pressures affecting the wider tablet market, supporting further market-share gains.”
As for the Mac, the report notes that Apple’s growth to 23% market share will counter a market-wide decline of 11%, helped by sales of the MacBook Neo.
Finally, Counterpoint expects the broader smartwatch market to grow just 1% this year, as the category is less exposed to the memory crisis. Apple, however, is projected to outpace the market, helped by the full-year availability of the Apple Watch Ultra 3 and Apple Watch SE 3.
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