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iPad Shipments Made Apple the No. 1 PC Vendor in Q4 2011

If you count out “pads”, client PC shipments are on the decline, research firm says

Jan 31, 2012 13:10 GMT  ·  By
The iPad can be both a portable computer, and a desktop machine, albeit with limited functionality (e.g. no mouse support)
   The iPad can be both a portable computer, and a desktop machine, albeit with limited functionality (e.g. no mouse support)

Apple was the leading worldwide PC vendor in Q4 2011 thanks to sales of over 15 million iPads and five million Macintosh computers (desktop and portable), Canalys has announced.

The research firm issued a report yesterday confirming that “Apple, after reporting stellar results, became the leading worldwide client PC vendor in Q4 2011.”

In addition to the 15 million iPads it shipped during its last quarter in 2011, the company also shipped five million Macs. Together, the shipments represented 17% of the total 120 million client PCs shipped in Q4 worldwide, said Canalys.

Looking at the year-on-year growth, Canalys said that, “Overall, the total client PC market, including desktops, netbooks, notebooks, and pads grew 16% year-on-year.”

Referring to tablet computers as “pads”, Canalys added that the client PC market declined by 0.4%, if we were to exclude pads from the equation.

Also acting as a factor that contributed to the decline in PC shipments excluding pads, were the floods in Thailand, where numerous hard drive assembly plants are located.

This caused “mild disruption to shipments during the quarter, but the side effects are likely to be felt in the first half of 2012,” said Canalys.

"We expect Ultrabook volumes to see limited adoption through the first half of 2012, before finally gaining momentum later in the year as price points decline and Intel launches a new line of processors and embarks on an aggressive marketing campaign," said Canalys Research Analyst Michael Kauh.

"In the short term though, vendors will experience more pressure in the netbook and notebook segments, especially with Apple's annual iPad refresh approaching," added Kauh.

Looking at tablets only, “pads” accounted for 22% of the total PC shipments during Q4 2011.

"The consumerization of IT continues to be a significant disruptive force in the PC industry, but many of the leading vendors have failed to capitalize on the trend to date," said Canalys Analyst Tim Coulling.

"This year will be a pivotal year for those vendors that were slow to launch pads. It is not just the product that they need to get right, business models are equally important - driving revenues from content delivery can help vendors reach lower price points in a market that is incredibly price sensitive."