Apple was the world’s top PC vendor last quarter, having shipped 13.6 million “personal computers” according to market research firm DisplaySearch. The firm includes both Mac computers and iPad tablets in its figures however, whereas most similar reports do not include tablet computers powered by mobile operating systems in the general PC category. Including the iPad, DisplaySearch says that Apple shipped nearly 4 million more PCs than second-ranked HP, which shipped 9.7 million computers in...

Market research firm NPD Group this week revealed the findings of its recent report entitled, Apple iPad Owner Study II. Among the interesting findings contained within NPD’s research is the revelation that the iPad isn’t responsible for the current decline in the traditional consumer PC market — at least, not according to NPD and its respondents. Research firm IDC estimates that the PC market dipped by over 10% in the U.S. last quarter, and 3.2% globally. In reporting its estimates, IDC said t...

Apple’s iPad has left the traditional PC market in a state of flux and in a painful bit of irony for Apple’s competition, the Cupertino company is also one of the few manufacturers whose traditional PC business managed to grow last quarter. Research firm IDC released its first-quarter figures on Wednesday and detailed bleak times for the bulk of PC makers in the U.S. and globally. Stateside, Apple and Toshiba were the only companies with significant market shares whose shipments grew year-over-yea...

Led by tremendous continued demand for Apple’s iPad, tablet sales helped drive impressive 19% fourth-quarter growth in the global PC market according to research firm Canalys. Strong Mac and iPad sales resulted in 241% growth year-over-year for the Cupertino-based company, which passed Dell this quarter to become the third-largest PC vender in the world. Shipments jumped from 3.4 million to 11.5 million units, and Apple now owns 10.8% of the global PC market. Ahead of Apple is Acer, which saw 8.8% growt...

Just in case the current economic climate didn’t tip you off, Gartner has issued new predictions for PC sales in 2009 and things don’t look good. You don’t say? According to the firm, the PC market is in for its sharpest decline ever in 2009 with sales expected to drop a massive 11.9 percent. Should Gartner’s prediction be accurate, the PC business is in for a decline nearly three times its current record slide of 3.2 percent in 2001. Insights from George Shiffler, research director at...