Based on further evidence of iPod Halo Effect, Piper Jaffray maintained an ‘outperform’ rating on Apple Computer with a $52 price target. Yesterday, IDC announced that Apple’s share of the U.S. personal computer market climbed to 4.5% in Q2 2005, up from Q1 2005′s 3.7%. Gartner yesterday said that Apple posted the highest growth rate among its peers as U.S. shipments grew 31%, helping it advance to No. 4 personal computer maker in the U.S.

“While not surprising given last week’s strong results, Apple continues to gain market share,” Piper Jaffray said. “We expect continued market-share gains through the back-half of calendar 2005, as Apple benefits from carryover from the massive installed base of iPods during the back-to-school and holiday seasons. Results over the last three quarters have illustrated the existence of the ‘halo’ effect, and we expect to see continued evidence of iPod-to-Mac carryover in the September quarter due to back-to-school,’” Forbes reports.

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Related MacDailyNews articles:
Gartner: Apple grows shipments 31 percent in Q2 2005, moves from 5th to 4th in U.S. market share – July 18, 2005
IDC: Apple gains U.S. market share at double overall market rate, up to 4.5 percent for Q2 2005 – July 18, 2005
Gartner: Apple Mac moved up to fifth position in the U.S. market in first quarter 2005 – April 15, 2005