Fresh data out of market research firm Gartner this week confirms what you already know: Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) keeps gobbling up market share in the PC industry.
Remember when Apple was a niche player for rich kids, graphic designers, and musicians? The company's thin slice of the computing market was hovering around 3% a few years ago. It's closing in on the double digits today.
|
U.S. PC Vendor Shipments |
Q3 Units |
Share |
Growth |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Dell (NASDAQ:DELL) |
5.1 million |
29.5% |
6% |
|
Hewlett-Packard (NYSE:HPQ) |
4.5 million |
25.7% |
4.4% |
|
Apple |
1.6 million |
9.5% |
29.4% |
|
Acer |
1.5 million |
8.9% |
11.2% |
|
Toshiba |
1.0 million |
5.6% |
3.6% |
|
Others |
3.6 million |
20.8% |
(7.1%) |
Source: Gartner.
Not impressed? Apple moved nearly 30% more units this past quarter than it did a year earlier, and you're just shrugging your shoulders with a Sarah Silverman "whatever" smirk? Is it the 9.5% slice? Did you think it would be more, given all of the "I'm a Mac, I'm a PC" ads you've been consuming? Well, consider that Gartner's preliminary data is expressed in terms of units. Since Apple machines are typically pricier, those premiums mean that Apple has a bigger share of the market when it comes to outright revenue.
Oh, and this is a domestic figure that includes shipments to corporate offices, which usually operate in a Microsoft-flavored (NASDAQ:MSFT) world. For now.
The consumer market trends are even more Apple-riffic. During Tuesday's rollout of the new crop of MacBooks, Apple pointed out how retail market share is up to 17.6% in units and a whopping 31.3% in terms of revenue.
It shouldn't surprise you anymore when you see the huge Apple display at Best Buy (NYSE:BBY). Heck, Best Buy is even selling iPhones these days. Fuddy-duddy office supply chains like Staples (NASDAQ:SPLS) and Office Depot (NYSE:ODP) are another story, but give it time.
The Apple revolution isn't supposed to take place overnight. Then again, going by Gartner's projection of a 29.4% year-over-year spurt for Mac shipments, mainstream acceptance is already here.
Some other cool reads for you:
