Surging iPad shipments propel Apple to #1 in worldwide mobile computer market share

ZAGGmate iPad caseSurging iPad shipments have propelled Apple to a 17.2% share of worldwide mobile PC shipments in Q4’10, placing Apple at the top of the DisplaySearch market share ranking. According to preliminary results from the DisplaySearch Quarterly Mobile PC Shipment and Forecast Report, Apple shipped more than 10.2 million notebook and tablet PCs combined, nearly a million more units than HP in Q4’10. While Apple’s iPad is benefiting from a first-mover advantage, particularly in mature markets, its notebook PC shipment growth rate continues to exceed the industry average.

“While we anticipate increased competition in the tablet PC market later this year with the introduction of Android Honeycomb-based tablets, Apple’s iPad business is complementing a notebook line whose shipments widely exceed the industry average growth rate,” said Richard Shim, Senior Analyst at DisplaySearch. “Apple is currently benefiting from significant and comprehensive growth from both sectors of the mobile PC spectrum, notebooks and tablet PCs. Cannibalization seems limited at this point.”

Among the top five brands in the mobile PC market, Toshiba was the only other company to exhibit Y/Y shipment growth. Toshiba’s shipments increased 15% Y/Y, to over 5.1 million units in Q4’10, as it maintained its #5 position in market share. HP, Acer Group (including Founder shipments), and Dell took the #2, #3, and $4 positions, respectively. The top five brands accounted for 65.4% of the total mobile PC market.

Table 1: Preliminary Q4’10 Worldwide Top Five Mobile PC Shipment Rankings by Brand (millions)
Q4 2010 Mobile PC market share
Source: DisplaySearch Quarterly Mobile PC Shipment and Forecast Report–Preliminary
*Includes Founder shipments

In Q4’10, worldwide mobile PC shipments (including tablet PCs) reached 59.6 million, up 8% Q/Q and 17% Y/Y, the highest volume since DisplaySearch first began to track this segment in 1999. Growth of notebook PC shipments, excluding tablets, was weak in Q4’10, up 4% Q/Q and 1% Y/Y.

The DisplaySearch Quarterly Mobile PC Shipment and Forecast Report covers the entire range of mobile PC products shipped worldwide and regionally. Covering global and regional brands, the Quarterly Mobile PC Shipment and Forecast Report provides an objective, expert view of the market with insight into historical shipments, revenues, forecasts and more.

More info here.

Source: DisplaySearch

Related articles:
Canalys unafraid to count iPad, puts Apple third in worldwide PC market share – January 26, 2011
DisplaySearch not afraid to count iPad: Apple #1 mobile PC maker in North America, #3 in world – December 7, 2010

18 Comments

  1. “While we anticipate increased competition in the tablet PC market later this year with the introduction of Android Honeycomb-based tablets”

    But, but the new Honeycomb based tablets will hit the ground with virtually no Apps available. What is an iPad clone without an App collection? (The answer is an expensive paperweight.)

      1. In what way are dreadful I-Pads moving? I don’t see any of them where I work. The IT guys are testing these sweet machines before deploying them in the field for the sales guys:

        I agree it looks way better than an I-Pad, and the stylus is a nice bonus. I cringe when I think of the MAC tax for a stylus that should be included with every I-Pad.

        And one more thing. You can’t run Microsoft Office on I-Pads so they can’t possibly be considered a computer. It’s that simple.

  2. Well, Motorola was right with their Ad during the super bowl …
    For each $tupid people searching for “freedom from paradise” (ak Android users that want freedon even if that means to go homeless after being living in pareadise) there will be tons of apple products users.

  3. Are these units shipped from the factory of actually sold to the end user? This won’t hurt Apple as they sell 100% of just every thing they make, opposed to copy cats who seldom if ever sell anything close to 100% of what they manufacture. More Microsoft inspired smoke and mirrors or lies as there called anywhere but Redmond.

Reader Feedback

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.