NEWS: Apple Mac Sales Soar, Dell Growing Faster Than HP

Ed: An original Lisa developer and Macintosh User Group (MUG) speaker cheers Apple's efforts to conquer the world. Keep the faith.

Apple Mac Sales Soar, Dell Growing Faster Than HP

from Silicon Alley Insider by Dan Frommer

Some encouraging news for Apple (AAPL) ahead of its March quarter earnings next week: Mac sales continue to grow much faster than the overall PC market, according to stats from research firms Gartner and IDC.

According to Gartner's estimates, Apple shipped 1.01 million Macs in the U.S. during Q1, up 32.5% y/y, while the overall U.S. PC market grew 3% y/y. Gartner pegs Apple's U.S. market share at 6.6%, up from 5.2% a year ago.

IDC estimates lower growth for Apple: It said the company shipped 950,000 Macs during Q1 in the U.S., up 25.1% y/y, while the broader U.S. PC market grew just 3.5% y/y. IDC estimates Apple's Q1 share at 6.0%, up from 4.9% a year ago.

Without worldwide estimates, we can't compare these estimates to what analysts will be looking for from Apple when it reports Q2 earnings next Wednesday. But the strong growth is good news, as Apple increasingly relies on Mac sales to drive growth in the next several quarters while iPod growth slows.

HP (HPQ) retained its no. 1 spot in both firms' worldwide estimates, but grew shipments slower than rival Dell (DELL). Gartner, for example, said HP shipped 12.99 million PCs last quarter worldwide, up 17.5% year-over-year. Meanwhile, it says Dell shipped 10.58 million PCs worldwide during Q1, up 21.8% year-over-year.

Gartner said the worldwide PC market grew 12.3% y/y during Q1, led by... everywhere but the U.S. Both firms blamed weak U.S growth on the soft economy.

See Also:
Apple's Growth Story Intact: Mac Sales Up Huge In February
Apple's Mac Business 'Recession Proof' -- (Crazy) Analyst

Apple's 1Q 2008 U.S. Market Share Up from 2007

Wednesday April 16, 2008 07:18 PM EST
Written by WildCowboy

Gartner has published a preliminary report on U.S. and worldwide PC shipments for the first quarter of 2008. According to Gartner's numbers, Apple placed fourth in U.S. marketshare at 6.6%, up from 5.2% in the first quarter of 2007. Apple's U.S. shipments increased 32.5% year-over-year, far outpacing the total industry shipment growth of 3.0%


Apple did not place in the top 5 vendors for worldwide PC shipments, where Toshiba held the fifth spot with a 4.3% market share. Worldwide, overall PC shipments grew by 12.3% year-over-year.

Previous Gartner reports had placed Apple with a 6.1 % U.S. market share for the fourth quarter of 2007, and 8.1% U.S. market share for the third quarter of 2007. Apple's numbers for the back-to-school third quarter traditionally benefit from its strong educational presence.