According to analysts inside the electronics industry, Mac makers Apple are set to become the world´s leading seller of Personal Computers before the second half of 2012 – but only if the iPad is categorized as a PC.
As things stand Hewlett Packard currently top the charts for PC sales, but research group Canalys have speculated Apple is expected to replace HP if projected sales of the Mac line up continue with the current pattern and tablets are classified as a PC. Apple already holds second place in the global PC market, but with the overwhelming response to the iPad2 in the third quarter of 2011, the American multimedia giants will leapfrog the counterparts into top spot.
Canalys estimated that global PC shipments in 2011 will reach 415 million, a 15 percent year over year increase thanks largely to the popularity of tablets like Apple’s iPad. The total worldwide shipments of universal tablets are expected to reach 59 million by the end of 2011, with 22 million of those sales alone coming in the fourth quarter. A spokesperson for the research company said:
“Apple has seen its PC market share expand from 9 percent to 15 percent in just four quarters, though iPad shipments in its core market — the United States — are likely to come under pressure in Q4 due to the launch of the Fire and Nook at extremely competitive price points,” said Canalys Analyst Tim Coulling. “HP and Apple will fight for top position in Q4, but Apple may have to wait for the release of iPad 3 before it passes HP.”
Industry insiders have already issued statements declaring Apple’s next-generation iPad will dominate tablet sales next year despite fierce competition from Amazon´s newly released Kindle Fire and the imminent release of the Android 4.0, known as “Ice Cream Sandwich,” which is expected to boost sales for tablet makers who use the Android-based platform.
The feeling amongst some analysts however, feel the timing of the release of the Android 4.0 could be detrimental to vendors looking to capitalize on the growing demand for tablets in the holiday buying season. The problem is most Android-based tablets run version 3.1 and manufacturers have not committed a dated to when Ice Cream Sandwich will be available on devices.
The news of Apple´s imminent drive into pole position in the PC market comes on the back of analysis conducted by investment bankers Morgan Stanley which reported the iPad makers have a largely untapped market of around 78 per cent to target in Asia.
The number of mobile phone carriers in the Asian market is expanding and Apple could use their innovative iPhones, in particularly the iPhone 4S and the iPhone 5 which is expected to be released next year, as a shop window to market their advanced technologies.
Asia has a demographic of around 655 million people, or around 10 per cent of the world´s population between the ages of 25 and 24 years old, and the largest consumers of the smartphones fall exactly into that age bracket.
Given the Asian market is largely untapped by Apple handsets, there is plenty of scope for the Americans to make their mark in the far east with their smartphones, before pushing the line of Mac PC´s and iPads.
China in particularly is see as the key to success for Apple. The American multimedia company already have strong contacts within the electronics industry as the majority of the components used to create their devices are bought from Chinese companies. In addition, China is Asia´s largest mobile market and the second-largest in the world after America.
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