The iPad has boosted Apple back to the top of the market, helping the company achieve an estimated 19 per cent share of worldwide PC shipments, according to a new report from Canalys.
The report reveals that Apple’s iPad had “the biggest single impact on growth rates” in quarter two of 2012, helping overall global client PC shipments rise by 12 per cent year on year in the quarter.
Tablets, including the iPad, Samsung Galaxy Tab, the Asus Transformer and more, have seen a hugely successful quarter, with total shipments increasing by 75 per cent to 24 million units during Q2. Tablets now represent 22 per cent of all PC shipments, says Canalys.
This significant increase in tablet shipments “more than compensated” for the disappointing sales of Ultrabooks, Canalys claims. “Reports that poor economic conditions and the wait for Windows 8 hurt the PC industry this quarter do not tell the whole story,” said Canalys Research Analyst Tom Evans. “The PC Industry is performing well and 2012 is shaping up to be a record year. Vendors with innovative products will reap the rewards.”
In quarter two last year, Apple was in second place behind HP, with 13.6 per cent of the worldwide PC shipments while HP had a 15.7 per cent share. This year, however, Apple is the winner by far with a year-on-year growth of 59.6 per cent, according to Canalys’ estimates. Apple now has an impressive 19.4 per cent share of the market, and shipments of 21 million units.
This year, HP is about 8 million sales behind Apple, with a 12.5 per cent share of the market, and creeping closer to second place is Lenovo, with a 12.1 per cent share.
“There is now a large base of replacement buyers that simply must have the latest Apple product, and the decision to continue shipping the iPad 2 at lower price points has opened up new customers, for example in education,” said Evans. “One drawback of the stand-out Retina display in the new iPad, however, is the increased storage demanded by HD content. An upgrade, without a big price increase, is a must for the next generation of product.”
The leading Android tablet vendor in Q2 is Samsung, Calalys highlights. The company, which is currently in a legal battle with Apple over patent and design infringement, doubled the shipments of its Galaxy Tab year-on-year. The third largest tablet vendor (behind Apple and Samsung) is Asus, which has seen success in the US since the launch of its low-cost Transformer tablet.
