We Were No. 3, Eh, Once
News Brief. Apple's short-lived stay as the No. 3 U.S. PC manufacturer isn't coming back soon. But that's OK, a merger can be blamed. |
Gartner released preliminary first quarter PC shipment figures today that find Apple, once again, fourth in the United States.
During the third quarter 2007, Apple snatched third place in shipments from Gateway. However, Acer's Gateway acquisition pushed Apple back to the fourth spot in the fourth quarter, where it is stuck for now.
Silver lines Apple's cloud though. Overall, U.S. PC shipments grew a paltry 3 percent year over year, with 15.2 million units shipped. Dell shipments grew 15.7 percent, which was much stronger than the overall market. Apple did twice as well as Dell though.
Sequentially, Apple's U.S. market-share eked up to 6.6 percent from 6.1 percent. Acer's market-share slipped from 9.5 percent to 9.1 percent during the same time period.
Apple's growth gains are even better than they might initially look. The majority of Apple's computers sell for more than $1,000. Most Dell SKUs start below $1,000, with gaming systems being the major exception. Apple's revenue gains should be significantly better than Dell's or any other PC competitor. Apple's margin and revenue position will be clearer following next week's earnings announcement.
That said, worldwide PC shipments are brisk, and that's where Windows OEMs eclipse Apple. PC manufacturers shipped 71.1 million PCs worldwide in the first quarter, for 12.3 percent growth year over year. Acer's shipments declined more than 18 percent in the U.S., but grew more than 25 percent worldwide. Apple didn't make the top five worldwide.
Well, there's always iPod and iPhone.
