Analysis firm Canalys notes that if you take tablet sales into account, one out of six computers shipped in Q4 2012 was an iPad. Apple shipped 27 million computer devices, giving it a marketshare of over 20 percent for the first time. Full details at DigiTimes.
HP shipped 15 million PCs, beating Lenovo by 200,000 units to regain second place, with both vendors taking an 11% share. Samsung, buoyed by strong pad shipments, had its first quarter in the top five, shipping 11.7 million PCs, giving it a 9% share and fourth place ahead of Dell.
The notebook market continued to falter, with the fourth-quarter volumes flat compared with the same period in 2011. The combination of the Windows 8 launch and holiday sales in Western Europe and the US had little effect on worldwide shipments. The pad segment, however, grew 75% to 46.2 million units, with full-year shipments totaling 114.6 million units.
Dell's reputation in the PC market continues to fade. It only shipped 9.7 million units, a 19% decline on 2011. Its direct business model is expensive and unsuitable for driving growth in new markets. A turnaround in fortunes is likely to take years. Should the planned buyout go through it will give the company time to rethink its strategy and refocus, away from the demands of Wall Street and shareholders, said Canalys.
