Apple’s results show the Windows-to-Mac switch is happening

One deployment after another, Apple continues to exploit the huge opportunity it has been given as enterprises consider the cost consequences of upgrading legacy equipment to Windows 11.

It seems clear the forced need to upgrade Windows is motivating many business users to move to the Mac instead. This trend has been ongoing for some time, but seems to have become even more apparent in recent months — Apple’s most recent quarterly financial call confirmed double-digit growth in Mac sales during Q3 ’25.

Mac sales to new users climbs

While Apple doesn’t break out much detail in terms of unit sales, the results did show that Mac sales generated $1 billion more in the quarter than the same period a year ago. This follows nine strong months of Mac sales, with revenue increasing 15% year-over-year, including what the company called “strong” performance in emerging markets. 

“We set a June quarter record for upgraders on Mac, and we saw great performance in emerging markets with strong double-digit growth on revenue as well as strong double-digit growth on both upgraders and customers new to Mac,” said Apple CEO Tim Cook.

Much of this performance was driven by the popularity of the M4 MacBook Air, but the growth was everywhere. Apple CFO Kevan Parekh confirmed Macs sales increases in every region, including double-digit growth in Europe, Greater China, and the rest of Asia-Pacific. 

Signs are that Windows users are switching

Is Apple taking market share from Windows? 

If this were the case, you would expect to hear that the company is attracting a lot of new users to the platform, and you would also expect the number of users to increase. This seems to be precisely what is happening, with Parekh claiming: “The Mac installed base reached an all-time high.” He also claimed a June quarter record for upgraders. 

The big question, of course, is whether all of these Windows switchers making the hop to the Mac platform are happy with the experience. While you can look to social media to find critics of almost anything, customer satisfaction data tends to be more reliable. What’s interesting here is that despite this mass influx of new users, Mac satisfaction levels remain supreme. “In the US, customer satisfaction was recently measured at 97%,” Parekh said.

That’s a comment that speaks volumes as it means not only that more people than ever are moving to Mac, but that they are also happy to have done so. In the context of accelerating Mac adoption, it can only be a matter of time until even more people take the leap. Microsoft, in contrast, lags Apple when it comes to customer satisfaction with scores in various categories in the mid-80s. 

That’s not terrible, of course, but it does represent a big chunk of that company’s existing Windows user base who might be willing to try life on the Apple side. 

Also, in the enterprise

Apple’s financial results also offer a glimpse into its activities in the enterprise markets. During its Q3 call, company execs told us Apple had the best June quarter ever for Mac in the enterprise. “Organizations are continuing to invest in Apple products to drive employee innovation and productivity,” said Parekh, sharing that PayPal and Roche are deploying more Macs for their workforce.

One thing leads to another and as those deployments increase, Apple is seeing its other products come into play. That’s why Siam Commercial Bank, one of the largest Thai banks, has deployed thousands of iPads across corporate branches to enhance the quality and efficiency of their banking operations.

The switch isn’t confined to the US. Cook told us that the MacBook Air was the top selling laptop model in all of China, while the Mac Mini became the top-selling desktop. 

One more thing? 

Quite a lot of the more advanced components used across all Apple’s products are made in the US, including millions of chips and the glass used in iPhone and FaceID, Cook told analysts during the call.

He also noted the importance of AI to Apple’s future and suggested the company would be very open to acquiring companies that can help it “accelerate a roadmap.”

To flesh out the meaning of those three words, think about the extent to which the company’s 2008 acquisition of PA Semi accelerated Apple’s roadmap to Apple Silicon, which sits at the heart of the huge Mac resurgence today; or how the company’s billion-dollar investment in Beats has helped it build out a Services segment that seems to have become a $100 billion business today.

Hold those two purchases in mind and consider which company or companies Apple could acquire today that would contribute similarly profound change (or “roadmap acceleration“) to its future? Because that’s where Apple is looking… 

You can follow me on social media! Join me on BlueSky,  LinkedIn, and Mastodon.