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Research firm Canalys today noted that Apple appears set to become the world's largest PC manufacturer by volume if the iPad and other tablets are included in the figures. The company already ranks second behind HP by that measure, but Canalys is unsure whether Apple will take the lead in the fourth quarter of this year or if it will require a boost from the iPad 3 launch early next year in order to surpass HP.
“Apple has seen its PC market share expand from 9% to 15% in just four quarters, though iPad shipments in its core market – the United States – are likely to come under pressure in Q4 due to the launch of the Fire and Nook at extremely competitive price points,” said Canalys Analyst Tim Coulling. “HP and Apple will fight for top position in Q4, but Apple may have to wait for the release of iPad 3 before it passes HP.”
Apple already ranks as the #1 mobile PC vendor when the iPad is included, but HP's lead over Apple in desktop sales has been enough to hold off Apple in the overall market.
Apple's iPad actually carries a higher average selling price than Windows PCs, resulting in some comparisons between the two in consumers' minds when making purchasing decisions. Apple has acknowledged that the iPad is cannibalizing Mac sales to some extent, but notes that it is happy to make that tradeoff given that PC users in general are undoubtedly making similar decisions to opt for the iPad. Consequently, Apple's relatively small share of the PC market indicates that significantly more Windows PCs than Macs are being left on the shelves in favor of iPads.
Top Rated Comments
Said the IBM mainframe guy about the Apple II.
Again, usability. Joe Average. How is Joe Average using it?
Folks are using tablets as computers - that's how they conceive of them. And they conceive of smartphones more as phones on steroids than "mini" computers.
You can slice and dice definitions until you're blue in the face. It won't matter. EVERYTHING is based on how the average market conceives of and uses these devices, regardless of their extra capabilities. That is how analyses like the one we're seeing are formulated. Trends in usage and market perception.
This requires thinking beyond the 5 feet of personal space that "I" and "me" occupy. Consider where the market is heading.
This makes this article pure bunk and just a speculative, what if, piece. Tablet market is the tablet market, it's separate from the Desktop/laptop market which in turn is different from the Server market, which in turn is separate from the Mainframe market.
Doesn't change the fact that all of these are computers though.
You're getting caught up in specs and definitions. I know people who don't use a computer at all and just use their iPhones. So for them - their iPhone is every bit a "PC"
See how that works.