Combined Mac, iPad sales to make Apple top global PC vendor in 2012

Posted:
in iPad edited January 2014
Apple is poised to become the largest seller of PCs in the world before the second half of 2012, if the iPad is categorized as a PC.



Research firm Canalys announced on Monday that Apple is expected to overtake HP and become the top PC maker in the world next year, based on total projected sales of both the iPad and the company's Mac lineup. Apple already holds second place in the worldwide PC market, with tablet sales included, as of the third quarter of calendar 2011.



"Apple has seen its PC market share expand from 9 percent to 15 percent 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."



Canalys has estimated that 2011 global PC shipments will reach 415 million, a 15 percent year over year increase thanks largely to the popularity of tablets like Apple's iPad. Total tablet shipments are expected to reach 59 million by the end of 2011, with 22 million of those sales alone coming in the fourth quarter.



Industry insiders suggested as far back as July that sales of the iPad would help Apple top HP to become the largest mobile PC vendor in 2012. Those projections called for Apple to ship 60 million iPads and 15 million MacBooks in 2012.



The firm said Monday that Apple's iPad will once again dominate tablet sales in the fourth quarter, though the newly released Kindle Fire and Nook Tablet are also expected to boost sales. That's consistent with a survey released earlier Monday, which indicated that the release of the Kindle Fire has helped tablet demand grow 130 percent from 2010.



Canalys noted that PC makers are struggling to compete with Apple's profitability, though the release of Android 4.0, known as "Ice Cream Sandwich," may help sales of tablets that compete with the iPad.







But the firm also said that the timing of the release of Android 4.0 could hurt vendors looking to capitalize on growing demand for tablets in the holiday buying season. The problem is most Android tablets on sale at the moment run version 3.1 of the operating system, and many tablet makers are not forthcoming on when, if ever, the devices will be updated to run Ice Cream Sandwich.



Canalys also believes that Ultrabooks, Intel's thin-and-light notebook specification that aims to compete with Apple's iPad, will drive notebook sales over the next five years. The firm believes that the differentiated appearance of Ultrabooks should prompt some consumers to upgrade.



"For Ultrabooks to become widespread, prices have to drop considerably," said Canalys Research Analyst Michael Kauh. "The least expensive models are currently around $800, a real barrier to mass consumer uptake. As more vendors embrace the Ultrabook design, component costs should drop and mainstream consumer prices will be achieved."
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 262
    Classifying any (current)tablet as a computer with it's stripped down OS and reduced functionality is a travesty to the term Personal Computer.
  • Reply 2 of 262
    ssquirrelssquirrel Posts: 1,196member
    What do most people do with a computer? Chat, email, browse the web. Sounds like stuff you can do on a tablet. Of course, an iPad can also house synthesizers, music recording software, virtual guitar amps and effects, just like a PC can. You can edit video on them, you can run Citrix to connect to a work computer...really except for high end gaming, you can do most things on a tablet. Considering how small the market for high end gaming is, I think that's fine for tablets.
  • Reply 3 of 262
    Only uberbuttert geeks can deny that tablets are computers
  • Reply 4 of 262
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by AHrubik View Post


    Classifying any (current)tablet as a computer with it's stripped down OS and reduced functionality is a travesty to the term Personal Computer.



    Agreed.



    Tablets are special purpose and media consumption devices, not personal computers. I still don't buy into this notion that desktops/laptops will be replaced by tablets and PC sales will plummet. I have yet to meet a single person who no longer has a full computer.
  • Reply 5 of 262
    iqatedoiqatedo Posts: 1,822member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by AHrubik View Post


    Classifying any (current)tablet as a computer with it's stripped down OS and reduced functionality is a travesty to the term Personal Computer.



    You don't know what you are talking about, sorry. Your opinion is the only travesty but you are entitled to it.
  • Reply 6 of 262
    geekdadgeekdad Posts: 1,131member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by techguy911 View Post


    Agreed.



    Tablets are special purpose and media consumption devices, not personal computers. I still don't buy into this notion that desktops/laptops will be replaced by tablets and PC sales will plummet. I have yet to meet a single person who no longer has a full computer.



    I agree with both of you. If you take their arguement about the iPad then you could also make the same arguement for including iPhones with all of their computing powner and functionality......... So let keep the category simple a PC is a PC and not a tablet or smartphone....
  • Reply 7 of 262
    iqatedoiqatedo Posts: 1,822member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by techguy911 View Post


    Agreed.



    Tablets are special purpose and media consumption devices, not personal computers. I still don't buy into this notion that desktops/laptops will be replaced by tablets and PC sales will plummet. I have yet to meet a single person who no longer has a full computer.



    That's an idiotic set of statements. Sure, I cannot run Mathematica on my iPad (although, in fact, in a form I can) but that does not disqualify the device as a computer. I won't be replacing my MBP or iMac with an iPad just yet but the iPad is a powerful and useful personal computer!
  • Reply 8 of 262
    iqatedoiqatedo Posts: 1,822member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by geekdad View Post


    I agree with both of you. If you take their arguement about the iPad then you could also make the same arguement for including iPhones with all of their computing powner and functionality......... So let keep the category simple a PC is a PC and not a tablet or smartphone....



    So now we define what is or is not a personal computer by your arbitrary definition. Get a life!
  • Reply 9 of 262
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by techguy911 View Post


    Agreed.



    Tablets are special purpose and media consumption devices, not personal computers. I still don't buy into this notion that desktops/laptops will be replaced by tablets and PC sales will plummet. I have yet to meet a single person who no longer has a full computer.



    When Apple unveiled the iPad, it was never meant to replace a computer. That's all the analysts and stupid fanboys talking. Steve, during his keynote, said the the iPad was the middle device between a phone and a full-fledged computer. Whether people need that middle device or not is a personal choice, and whether someone can do without a computer and get by solely with an iPad is, again, a personal choice. What is the right setup for you isn't the right setup for you co-worker, brother, grandparent, etc.
  • Reply 10 of 262
    iPads are all the PC a lot of people need.



    The truth is that the form and function of the PC has changed to service the user in this case. Rather than people being saddled with a lot of computer they don't want or need just to have the benefit of basic functions like email, web browsing, and video chatting.



    Just because it doesn't suit EVERYONE'S needs as a PC doesn't change what it is.



    I have a wife, a kid, and a dog. So a Smart Car doesn't work for me, but it doesn't make it any less a car.
  • Reply 11 of 262
    lkrupplkrupp Posts: 10,557member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by SSquirrel View Post


    What do most people do with a computer? Chat, email, browse the web. Sounds like stuff you can do on a tablet. Of course, an iPad can also house synthesizers, music recording software, virtual guitar amps and effects, just like a PC can. You can edit video on them, you can run Citrix to connect to a work computer...really except for high end gaming, you can do most things on a tablet. Considering how small the market for high end gaming is, I think that's fine for tablets.



    You've hit the nail on the head. The vast, vast majority of non-enterprise personal computer users have no real need for a full featured desktop or laptop. As you mention, the majority use PCs for the same things they can do on the iPad. It's the same false "real work" argument made by the Windows crowd about Mac users and it shows the RDF the wannabe geeks live in.
  • Reply 12 of 262
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by The Stupid Geek View Post


    Only uberbuttert geeks can deny that tablets are computers



    its not a computer..... deal with it.
  • Reply 13 of 262
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by AHrubik View Post


    Classifying any (current)tablet as a computer with it's stripped down OS and reduced functionality is a travesty to the term Personal Computer.



    You can't get more Personal than a tablet computer.
  • Reply 14 of 262
    iqatedoiqatedo Posts: 1,822member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by lkrupp View Post


    You've hit the nail on the head. The vast, vast majority of non-enterprise personal computer users have no real need for a full featured desktop or laptop. As you mention, the majority use PCs for the same things they can do on the iPad. It's the same false "real work" argument made by the Windows crowd about Mac users and it shows the RDF the wannabe geeks live in.



    So many personal computers are used for transacting email and playing games on and that's it. What makes those systems special in ways that the iPad isn't? In fact, a lot of PC users would benefit greatly by dropping the useless box of Windows junk and going to an iPad instead.
  • Reply 15 of 262
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by techguy911 View Post


    Agreed.



    Tablets are special purpose and media consumption devices, not personal computers. I still don't buy into this notion that desktops/laptops will be replaced by tablets and PC sales will plummet. I have yet to meet a single person who no longer has a full computer.



    The present does not predict the future. PC's are getting smaller and more powerful. It's not a matter of if a tablet replaces a desktop / laptop but when. As other commenters have noted, the vast majority of people use their PC's for email, chat, messaging, office suites, browsing, light gaming, all things a tablet does very well already. Obviously this complete shift will not happen overnight. This is something that will over the next decade but that shift is starting now in a big way.



    Only people such as developers, and those that use their PC's for media-heavy tasks such as final cut pro x, etc. will need the power of a full desktop or notebook. Hence the idea SJ was talking about at the All Things D conference where he said post-pc devices are like cars and traditional PC's are like trucks.
  • Reply 16 of 262
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by IQatEdo View Post


    That's an idiotic set of statements. Sure, I cannot run Mathematica on my iPad (although, in fact, in a form I can) but that does not disqualify the device as a computer. I won't be replacing my MBP or iMac with an iPad just yet but the iPad is a powerful and useful personal computer!



    Ok, no reason to fling out insults at the start of all of your posts.



    No one is saying an iPad is not a computer. Everything is a computer, dumb cell phone, iPhone, iPad, TI-89, etc. When we refer to "PCs" that's a term for a general purpose computer that can have any OS loaded, unrestricted applications and supports all common devices (keyboard, mouse, printer, scanner, monitor, video capture, webcams, pen drives, etc.).



    Here's the main difference: PCs are designed do anything and everything. With the right software and general USB ports, there's no limit. Special purpose devices such as Tablets are specifically designed to do a limited set of things. That set is quickly expanding, you can now print to SOME printers with an iPad, you can connect an HDMI TV, there's a cable to connect a camera and download pictures and there's now a built in camera. But overall, you're still locked in to what it was specifically made to do and if you need more, too bad.



    It may be your opinion that the iPad does enough for most people, but not everyone agrees.
  • Reply 17 of 262
    iqatedoiqatedo Posts: 1,822member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by nicolbolas View Post


    its not a computer..... deal with it.



    You couldn't even be bothered using the term 'personal' in your statement, which would have been stupid even if you did.
  • Reply 18 of 262
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by nicolbolas View Post


    its not a computer..... deal with it.



    It's all relative. Had you showed the iPad to someone in 1988 would they have declared that it wasn't a personal computer?



    So... in some narrow perception of what is and what isn't a personal computer.... some people still believe that the iPad is not a pc.



    Okay... whatever.
  • Reply 19 of 262
    conradjoeconradjoe Posts: 1,887member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by IQatEdo View Post


    So now we define what is or is not a personal computer by your arbitrary definition. Get a life!



    We can call anything we want a computer.



    For example, my toaster uses sensors and a logic chip. If we include toasters in the definition, then Sunbeam is a major computer company.



    But we are not trying to make Sunbeam a computer maker, we are trying to make Apple the Biggest computer maker. Therefore, it is useful to call the iPad a computer.



    Therefore, the iPad is a computer, and Apple is Biggest.



    Words are used for a purpose. If you know your purpose, then your definitions flow naturally.
  • Reply 20 of 262
    Lets look at some definitions....



    per·son·al com·pu·ter: A microcomputer designed for use by one person at a time



    mi·cro·com·pu·ter: A small computer that contains a microprocessor as its central processor



    com·put·er: An electronic device for storing and processing data, typically in binary form, according to instructions given to it in a variable program



    mi·cro·proc·es·sor: An integrated circuit that contains all the functions of a central processing unit of a computer



    A tablet (including the iPad) is or has all these things... so what about it makes it not a computer? The form factor? I didn't see form factor as part of the definition of a computer....
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