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Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Apple Storms Past HP to Lead Global PC Market- iPads
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Canalys today announced that Apple, after reporting
stellar results, became the leading worldwide client
PC vendor in Q4 2011.
According to the research firm, Apple shipped over 15
million iPads and five million Macs, representing 17%
of the total 120 million client PCs shipped globally
in Q4. Overall, the total client PC market, including
desktops, netbooks, notebooks, and pads grew 16%
year-on-year. Excluding pads, the client PC market
declined 0.4%. The floods in Thailand, that impacted
hard drive assembly plants, caused mild disruption to
shipments during the quarter, but the side effects are
likely to be felt in the first half of 2012, Canalys
added.
Among the other top five PC vendors, only Lenovo
managed to increase its market share, by a relatively
modest two points, compared to Apple?s six-point gain
over the same quarter a year ago. Acer, Dell and HP -
the hardest hit - all lost market share. Now the
second largest client PC vendor worldwide, HP will
struggle to compete with Apple following the end of
its Touchpad.
"Currently, HP is pursuing a Windows strategy for its
pad portfolio, producing enterprise-focused products,
such as the recently launched Slate 2, until the
launch of Windows 8," said Canalys Analyst Tim
Coulling. "However, questions remain over Microsoft's
entry into the consumer pad space. While early
demonstrations of the Window 8 operating system seem
promising, Microsoft must focus its efforts on
creating an intuitive user experience that is far less
resource intensive."
Lenovo continued to close the gap on HP, thanks to
successful investment outside of core markets. The
acquisition of Medion in Germany helped Lenovo double
its shipments in Western Europe during the second half
of 2011. The vendor's decision to use Android for
enterprise and consumer pads gives it a better
opportunity than HP to continue gaining market share.
Dell placed fourth among the top five PC vendors,
followed by Acer. Acer?s shipments continued to
decline, as a result of the pad?s impact on the
netbook market. It did, however, make headlines at the
2012 International Consumer Electronics Show in
January, when it revealed its S5 Ultrabook.
Unsurprisingly, Acer and other vendors have been quick
to announce their support for the new Ultrabook form
factor, with the view of driving innovation and
renewed customer interest in notebooks.
"We expect Ultrabook volumes to see limited adoption
through the first half of 2012, before finally gaining
momentum later in the year as price points decline and
Intel launches a new line of processors and embarks on
an aggressive marketing campaign," said Canalys
Research Analyst Michael Kauh. "In the short term
though, vendors will experience more pressure in the
netbook and notebook segments, especially with Apple's
annual iPad refresh approaching."
Pads accounted for 22% of total PC shipments during Q4
2011. In addition to Apple's strong performance, the
Amazon Kindle Fire and the Nook Tablet by Barnes and
Noble boosted volumes in the U.S. market, allowing
both vendors to claim spots among the top five
worldwide pad makers, in second and fifth place
respectively.
All regions grew year-on-year with the inclusion of
pads. Excluding pads, however, shipments in Europe,
Middle East and Africa and North America declined, due
to weaker consumer demand in Western Europe and the
United States, despite the traditional Q4 sales
periods. Vendors and channel partners took a cautious
approach to inventory levels in Q4, as many had
expected a slow quarter. Notebook volumes grew
slightly, at approximately 1% in these regions, but
continued their impressive rise in Asia Pacific and
Latin America, as more consumers embraced mobile
computing.
"The consumerization of IT continues to be a
significant disruptive force in the PC industry, but
many of the leading vendors have failed to capitalize
on the trend to date," said Coulling. "This year will
be a pivotal year for those vendors that were slow to
launch pads. It is not just the product that they need
to get right, business models are equally important -
driving revenues from content delivery can help
vendors reach lower price points in a market that is
incredibly price sensitive." |
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