by , 8:00 AM EST, January 20th, 2003
Over recent months we've heard different numbers concerning Apple's consumer PC market share; the numbers vary widely from less than 2% to well over 5%. IDC, an IT data analysis company, has released its quarterly report on how consumer computer makers did in selling their wares last year. We don't always agree with IDC's analysis when it comes to Apple, especially that of Roger Kay, who is quoted in the release from IDC, but the numbers IDC released for the December quarter will get attention from the mainstream world.
Many will be surprised to find that Dell is no longer King of the Hill when it comes to PC shipments worldwide, at least for the last quarter of 2002. That title belongs to HP, who had been swapping the position with Dell during the previous 3 quarters. Dell maintains the title of #1 PC vendor in the US.
According to IDC, the number of computers Apple shipped in the 4th quarter of 2002 in the US was 385,000, keeping the company as the #5 US vendor in terms of volume. That number also qualifies Apple as having 3% of the total units shipped for that quarter in the US, which is a gain of 0.1% over the same time last year. In the December quarter of 2001, IDC says Apple shipped some 356,000 units in the domestic market.
If IDC's numbers are correct, this would mark Apple's first market share growth in some time, though it is but a tenth of a percentage point. Gateway and HP lost US market share, while IBM and Dell joined Apple in the ranks of those gaining US market share.
For the year, Apple was the 5th largest computer maker in the US, behind Dell, HP, Gateway, and IBM. Apple's total shipments were 3.5% of the total US market, down a tenth of a percentage point from last year. Apple didn't place in the Top 5 in terms of worldwide shipments.
The IDC report also includes comments from Roger Kay on some of Apple's accomplishments. From the IDC report:
Apple -- Grew shipments year-on-year, but lost ground sequentially. Inventory reductions and new products set the stage for faster growth in 2003. Apple's strongest performance was in retail, where the company has been aggressively courting Windows users.
Check out the full report at IDC.com.
Bolstering the PowerMac lineup may be a tall order, however, if Apple is stuck with using Motorola's G4s. Most of the Mac community believes that any new Power Mac should have IBM's new 64 bit PowerPC 970 processor in them, which may be able to narrow the megahertz gap between Macs and PCs. If Apple does go with IBM's processor, this year will indeed be a stellar one, but it remains to be seen when, and if, the 970 will make it to a Mac near you..
Still, according to IDC, a company that often seems to not understand Apple or the Mac platform, Apple gained a tiny amount of US market share during the December quarter. That's a Good Thing™, no matter how you slice it, and it is a fairly ringing endorsement of the company's retail and Switcher strategies. We'll see how the rest of this year proceeds before catering the celebratory party, but 2003 is beginning on a good note, all things considered.