AppleInsider StaffApple Inc.'s line of MacBook and MacBook Pro notebooks combined for nearly 10 percent of all notebook sales at U.S.-based retail stores during the month of March, while sales of iMacs also helped the Mac maker rank amongst the top five desktop manufacturers for the first time this year, according to just-released data from NPD Group.
US retail notebook sales
The 9.9 percent notebook share garnered by Apple is up from February, when it did not place in the top five, but down from January, when it registered a 10.1 percent share of U.S. retail notebook sales.
US retail desktop sales
Meanwhile, the Mac maker broke into NPD's list of top five U.S.-based retail desktop vendors for the first time this year, seizing a 7.7 percent unit share. The list, which does not include Dell, was topped by HP with an even 35 percent slice of the market. HP was followed by Compaq (16.7 percent), Gateway (16.6 percent), and Emachines (16.4 percent).
SanDisk chips away at iPod retail share
Over in the digital media player space, Apple in March saw continued erosion of its share of the retail segment at the hands of rival SanDisk. For the month, Apple held onto a 68.9 percent share, down from 72.3 percent in February and 72.7 percent in January. SanDisk appears to be the primary beneficiary of the iPod maker's lost share, with its slice of the retail media player market rising from 8.9 percent in January, to 9.7 percent in February, and 11.2 percent in March.
Rounding out the top five digital media player retail vendors for the month of March was Creative with a 3.6 percent share (up from 2.7 percent in February), Microsoft with a 2.5 percent share (no change), and Samsung with a 2.2 percent share (down from 2.5 percent in February).
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57 Comments
"Impressive... Most impressive" —Darth Vader
Way to go Apple!!I reckon they could hit $100B by the time the iPhone launches!
Awesome.
I though Apple's goal was only 3% of the entire market? Either way, 10% is killer!
Surprising about the iPod market share, but great news on the Macs.
Any idea what percentage of all PCs are sold retail?
Surprising about the iPod market share, but great news on the Macs.
Any idea what percentage of all PCs are sold retail?
It's not too surprising to me. In large part, Apple is cooling its heels on the iPod for a bit, working on really getting the technology right and maximizing profits (more players sold doesn't always equate to more profits, obviously). Meanwhile, other players, such as the line from sandisk have been adding more and more functionality.
The functions they've added are for the most part quite lame, especially in their implementation of the concepts, but they look impressive to consumers on paper. Personally, I feel that the iPod is still the best player for the money, but that has a lot more to do with ease of use and ease of getting the content I want onto the player. iTunes is what makes the iPod truly great.