New data from Canalys shows that Apple remained the market leader in the combined PC and tablet market in Q1 this year, despite a 16 percent fall in iPad sales.
With many consumers buying tablets in place of laptops, the approach taken by Canalys in combining the two arguably makes more sense than separating them out as other companies do. Tablets now outsell laptops, with desktops the poor relation.
Worldwide, iPad shipments in Q1 fell 16% year on year to 16.4 million and accounted for 80% of Apple’s total PC shipments. Despite this, Apple continued to lead the global PC market. Its share fell both sequentially and year on year from 20% to 17%, due chiefly to the increasingly competitive tablet market.
Worldwide, tablets now account for 41 percent of combined sales, laptops 38 percent and desktops 21 percent.
Consumers, and increasingly businesses, are continuing to adapt, with tablets acting as disruptors and finding their place as desktop and notebook replacements. Apple’s ecosystem and the recent launch of Office for iPad should ensure it is well placed to remain a leader for some time.
