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Apple is now the fourth biggest supplier of PCs with a market share of almost five per cent, according to research firm IDC.
The company, whose share has grown from 3.7 per cent in IDC’s last quarterly report, is now within striking distance of third placed Gateway’s declining, 6.5 per cent share.
Worldwide, as in the US, Dell remains the number one PC maker, followed by HP.
IDC notes that Apple shipments increased by 16 per cent in the second quarter, reflecting a successful transition to Intel-based systems.
Apple has just reported its best ever Mac sales for the July quarter.
Overall the worldwide PC market continued to grow at a healthy pace in the second quarter of 2006, although there was slower growth in Europe - caused in part by the distraction of the World Cup.
Among PC makers, Acer continued to gain share worldwide while Fujitsu Siemens struggled in its core markets. Both Dell and HP, the two largest suppliers, enjoyed strong quarters.
“Manufacturers in the United States were very assertive in the second quarter and used low prices and portable adoption to collectively reverse sluggish growth trends from the previous six months,” said Richard Shim, senior analyst with IDC’s Personal Computing program. HP, Apple, and Gateway led the charge with double digit growth rates outpacing the industry average. Dell slightly lagged the market while maintaining its leadership position by a wide margin. |
