Skip to main content

PC sales off to slow start in 2011, ‘usurped’ by the iPad

ipad-2-sold-outPC sales are off to a sluggish start in 2011, brought on, in part, by the overwhelming popularity of Apple’s iPad 2. The consumer PC market is “being usurped” by Apple’s tablet computer, according to analyst Chris Whitmore of Deutsche Bank as reported by AppleInsider.

Whitmore does expect PC sales to rise this year, but not by as much as originally predicted. Whitmore amended his projection for PC sales from nine percent growth down to four percent.  He increased his projected 2011 tablet sales from 40 million to 45 million. By 2012, Whitmore expects that consumers will have purchased some 70 million tablets — a healthy increase from an original prediction of 60 million.

And the vast majority of those 45 million tablets purchased this year will likely be iPads — 35 million according to Whitmore.

“We remain skeptical whether the likes of (HP), Dell, Motorola, Samsung and RIMM etc can close the competitive gap on iPad 2,” Whitmore wrote. “Specifically, iPad challengers must either undercut on price (negative margin implications) and/or offer a superior user experience.”

“In aggregate, we believe iPad will remain dominant with 70% market share. Our tablet unit estimate remains below Consensus due to our concerns that non-iPad tablets will underwhelm,” he added.

Whitmore believes that the iPad’s popularity has also severely undermined the demand for PC notebooks to the extent that close to one out of every three iPad purchasers intend to use the device as a notebook replacement.

While the consumer PC market may be underperforming, demand for PCs in the corporate world is as robust as ever and shows no indications of declining. Whitmore did note, however, that unfortunately for PC makers, corporate sales are not likely to increase enough to offset the slow start  in the consumer market.

Editors' Recommendations

Aemon Malone
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Own an iPhone, iPad, or MacBook? Install this critical update right now
IOS 16.4.1 UPDATE.

Apple has released software updates for iPhones and iPads that are light on features, but they are critically important from a security perspective. The updates — iOS 16.4.1 and iPadOS 16.4.1 — started rolling out on Friday, but you should install them on your iPhone and iPad as soon as possible to protect your devices from attacks.

In its official release note, Apple says the updates patch two security flaws that “may have been actively exploited.” Now, Apple doesn’t disclose security issues before conducting thorough research, both in-house and in collaboration with cybersecurity experts. In a nutshell, when Apple publicly announces a security flaw, and it comes with a “Critical Vulnerability” badge, you should grab the fix as soon as Apple makes them available.

Read more
How to share a Wi-Fi password on iPhone or iPad
iPhone in hand with Wi-Fi interface feat image.

A little-known Wi-Fi connectivity shortcut can make life easier for everyone while maintaining your privacy if you want to share your home password with guests. The Wi-Fi sharing feature, which debuted in the fall of 2017 with iOS 11, can connect any visitor to your home using an iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch, or even your Mac running macOS High Sierra or later, without specifically revealing it or forcing your guests to type it in. Just keep in mind that you'll both need to be using an iPad or iPhone for this to work, or it's back to entering the password manually.

Read more
Best iPad Deals: Save on iPad Air, iPad Mini and iPad Pro
iPad Pro 2020 Screen

Officially, the biggest deals are behind us, at least until later this year, but even so, it's still possible to find some great iPad deals. Discounts have appeared on several of the most popular iPads. But rather than recommend you do all the work, we've rounded up the best iPad deals you can buy online today, with fantastic discounts on the new 10.2-inch iPad, the latest iPad Air, the travel-friendly iPad Mini, and the top-of-the-line iPad Pro. You can also find deals on new and refurbished earlier iPad models, which can be a wonderful way to save even more. Like most Apple deals, however, the best offers won't stick around, so act fast.
Apple iPad (2021) -- from $269, was from $329

Why Buy:

Read more