Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Computing

Apple jumps to No. 3 PC retailer in US

Andrew Couts
By
Apple-iMac-2011

Apple has surpassed Acer and Toshiba to become the third largest PC retailer in the US, reports Mashable. According to numbers from market research firm Gartner, that puts the Mac maker just behind Hewlett Packard and Dell.

During the second quarter of 2011, sales of Apple computers grew 8.5 percent year-over-year to give the company a 10.7 percent market share, reports Gartner. That compares to the Cupertino, California-based company’s 9.3 percent market share in 2010. By comparison, Dell comes in at No. 2 with 22.6 percent market share — almost double that of Apple. HP holds 26.9 percent market share.

Recommended Videos

The numbers from IDC, another market research company, look even better for Apple. According to their count, Apple is still No. 3 in the US, but saw 14.7 percent year-over-year growth. Both IDC and Gartner agree that Apple holds 10.7 percent market share.

Worldwide, Apple still has a long way to go before it sees itself in the top billing. The reports show that, on a global scale, the top five PC makers are HP, Dell, Lenovo, Acer and Asus.

Both companies include the sales of netbooks in calculating their numbers, but do not include tablets sales. This means Apple’s dominance in the US isn’t being helped by its stellar sales of that device, nor is it helping the company’s placement on the world stage.

Gartner and IDC show that, overall, the PC market is doing terribly. Total worldwide PC shipments grew only 2.6 percent, which falls far short of the 6.7 percent growth Garner predicted, and not even a fourth of the 12 percent growth IDC forecast.

Apple’s growth is faster than any other company, other than Lenovo, which, according to Gartner, surged a staggering 22.5 percent year-over-year.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
Andrew Couts
Andrew Couts
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Features Editor for Digital Trends, Andrew Couts covers a wide swath of consumer technology topics, with particular focus on…
HP Envy x360 13 vs. Apple MacBook Air M2
HP Envy x360 13 2022 front view showing display and keyboard deck.

HP's Envy x360 13 is an excellent convertible 2-in-1 for not a lot of money. It's extremely flexible, well-built, and it provides solid productivity performance while being priced to undercut much of the competition. That includes the Apple MacBook Air M2, an excellent laptop that's among the least expensive MacBooks.

If you're looking at 13-inch machines, then these two laptops should be on your shortlist. They're quite different, though, and so the choice between them isn't an easy one to make. We'll try to make it a little easier.
Specs

Read more
Dell XPS 13 Plus vs. Apple MacBook Air M1
The Dell XPS 13 Plus on a table outside.

The Dell XPS 13 Plus represents half of the new 13-inch XPS lineup, offering a higher performance and more innovative machine compared to the more affordable XPS 13. Both are among the best laptops on the market. Apple's MacBook Air M1 is the old-school choice, hanging onto an affordable design that's been refined over many years into one of the best MacBooks you can buy.

While the XPS 13 Plus is more expensive than the MacBook Air M1, the difference isn't tremendous. Therefore, if you're looking for a portable powerhouse, you'll likely have them both on your shortlist. But which is better?
Specs

Read more
Dell XPS 13 Plus vs. Apple MacBook Pro 14
The edge of the Dell XPS 13 Plus' chassis.

If you're looking for a 13-inch laptop or 14-inch laptop and you want a truly premium offering, then Dell's XPS 13 Plus and Apple's MacBook Pro 14 are likely to be on your list. Arguably, the MacBook is in a different class as a powerful creator's machine versus the XPS 13 Plus that's aimed at demanding productivity workers.

Even so, the MacBook Pro 14 has elements that make it a stronger competitor to the XPS 13 Plus than the less expensive MacBook Air M1 and MacBook Air M2. Therefore, it's important to evaluate the two and see if the more expensive MacBook is worth the extra money.
Specs

Read more