Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Apple Financial
Apple cracks top five UK PC makers
Although overall shipments for Macs are at an 18-month low , worldwide numbers continue to climb. Macworld UK pointed to a Gartner study evaluating UK PC shipments for the first quarter of 2009. Apple has moved up, joining the top five PC manufacturers in terms of units shipped for the first time.According to Gartner, Apple shipped 143 thousand units in the UK the first quarter of 2009, accounting for 4.8% marketshare. That represents a 6.6% growth year over year, which is in sharp contrast to the 5.1 percent decrease in the overall UK PC market.
At 4.8 percent, Apple is still a relatively small player -- the number four manufacturer, Toshiba, shipped nearly twice as many units -- but these numbers prove that Apple adoption is remaining strong, regardless of the economy.
The figures that will probably get the most play in the non-Mac press are those from Acer, the number three manufacturer in the UK. Acer's year-over-year growth in terms of units shipped was up a whopping 40.6%, due in large part to its price-conscious netbook offerings.
Apple and Acer approach the PC market from opposite ends of the spectrum; Acer goes for high-volume, low-margin sales, Apple does high-margin, lower-volume, yet both companies are succeeding in an industry that is declining worldwide.
What does this mean? Well, to me, it means that despite Microsoft's quips, price doesn't necessarily dictate market share.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
oakie said 3:36PM on 5-08-2009
"What does this mean? Well, to me, it means that despite Microsoft's quips, price doesn't necessarily dictate market share."
actually, according to a quote from your own posting:
"The figures that will probably get the most play in the non-Mac press are those from Acer, the number three manufacturer in the UK. Acer's year-over-year growth in terms of units shipped was up a whopping 40.6%, due in large part to its price-conscious netbook offerings."
i think the argument you're trying to make is that the market is not necessarily as sensitive to price in this economy if the consumer can see value in the product.
because the 40+% year over year growth by acer, the number three PC seller in the UK for Q1/09, on the back of their low-cost netbook offerings obviously shows that price DOES dictate market share. at least in the example you've provided.
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ErnieP said 5:09PM on 5-08-2009
Mac sales have already slowed down. I hate to say this, but Windows 7 will just compound this. It's the coolest OS I've seen in a while.
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Mark Wilke said 12:39AM on 5-10-2009
Windows is a vast improvement for sure but still has some catching up to do. It is still good to see and should make Apple even work harder to stay ahead.
macxprt said 5:46PM on 5-08-2009
I think there are only 6 PC Makers in the UK, so this is not that hard to do. :-)
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Raizak said 6:37PM on 5-08-2009
I was a PC user/fanboy untill 2005 when I bought my first mac (iMac CoreDuo 2) and ever since (regardless of price) I would buy a Mac over a PC any day in regards of the build quality and OS.
Before hand i had bought Acer and Dell Laptops (big mistake) which felt and looked nasty and cheap!
You get what you pay for i suppose :D
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Scotty down_under said 7:31PM on 5-09-2009
buying an Apple MacBook (2007) can be as 'nasty' as any Dell or Acer.
low quality, discolouration, cracking all around edges of white outer encasing, Hard Drive fail after 11.5 months (& arguing with store to get it replaced under warranty!).
Now, with it not even 2yrs old, the battery life is starting to die.
Give me back my high quality 12" PowerBook anyday. After 4yrs it was still in almost perfect condition!
Linhares said 8:55PM on 5-08-2009
"What does this mean? Well, to me, it means that despite Microsoft's quips, price doesn't necessarily dictate market share."
What then explains Acer? My god, you are the smartest person on the internet, by far!
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HB said 4:23AM on 5-09-2009
@ Linhares
Re-read your comment, then re-read the artice and have a nice long think. "...price doesn't NECESSARILY dictate market share". Don't flame the author when you struggle to hold such basic concepts in your own head.
Linhares said 10:15PM on 5-08-2009
@ HB
Ok then. Fine. So here we go:
1. Apple should raise their prices to start at US$10.000,00.
2. ???
3. Market share!!!1!eleven!!!
That was not an intelligent conclusion, no matter how you try spin it.
Christina Warren said 2:22PM on 5-09-2009
There's been a lot of talk about the personal computer market becoming commoditized. Meaning, the brand or the manufacturer is irrelevant and the price is determined by market conditions. Netbooks, which to a certain extent are already commodities (there are lots and lots of rebadged Acer's out there for instance), bolster that theory. However, the continued uptick in shipments from companies like Apple, which is absolutely not a commodity, in the face of a decreased overall market and weaker world economy suggests to me that the PC market is not becoming a commodity market. Certain segments might certainly be going that way, but the market itself isn't at that point.
tony.walker said 5:09AM on 5-09-2009
Apple will have found a sharp drop in recent sales due to the fact they added a great big slab onto prices when they released the new Mini and iMac models recently.
And before anyone says "exchange rate", I'll say "hedging" which a company the size of Apple should be doin g to protect themselves from currency fluctuations.
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Mr Lizard said 2:04PM on 5-09-2009
Decent point.
I'm sure there's plenty of people who feel that the new MacBooks and Mac Mini's are worth their price, but by raising the entry price to get on board the Mac wagon Apple have excluded people from owning a Mac who could have afforded one before.
Scotty down_under said 7:37PM on 5-09-2009
here here!
prices in Australia are *almost* as bad as the UK. Especially when we aren't earning pounds.
Even last year, when US$1 = A$0.95 did Apple reduce prices on updated products? No. Oh, but when exchange rate is bad; their excuse is the exchange rate.
You even hear famous UK & US podcasters say "it has to ship from the USA around the world". Hmmm, every Apple product I own was made in China!, just up the road from Australia.
Al said 7:44PM on 5-09-2009
I agree that before Apple switched to Intel their hardware was way better... I had the first MacBook Pro and within the first 16 months: Battery died, Both fans died, and the SuperDrive died also. The thing never left my desk... I also have a Macbook and the battery died in 13-months after an update.... the Geniuses at the bar charged me $105 for a replacement... the plastic cracked around the front palm-rest too...
I just bought a Dell 9 and installed OSX on it.... works beautifully for $500 with an SSD 64GB drive....
http://celticland.com/about/?p=598
I'm really not purchasing any more Apple's...
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lyris2003 said 4:08PM on 5-12-2009
I know this is an Apple blog, but the spin is truly hilarious. If it's true that there are only around 6 PC makers in the UK (I haven't counted), then what it actually means is that "Apple finally becomes something other than LAST". Woo, get out the champagne.
PS: I own one of Apple's poncy computers because I need one for a Mac-only program. The hardware is overpriced but great (usable trackpad on a laptop - yes please), but the niche nature of the OS means that it is a pain in the ass on the whole.
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CXT said 2:44PM on 5-14-2009
Lenovo, Dell, HP, Acer (including Gateway and eMachines), Advent, Apple, Sony, Viglen, Asus, Fujitsu Siemens, Samsung, Toshiba, Sun Microsystems, LG, Panasonic, Microstar, Mesh, etc, etc, all sell in the UK
A bigger issue, possibly, is the limited range of retailers, and what they think looks nice on their shelves. Apple seem to do well with the simple and shiny consumer ranges they offer (small, bigger, biggest), which some manufacturers are following.
I just recently bought a new Thinkpad, and while I had particularly specific requirements in mind, ensuring all components were compatible was monstrously complicated considering my high level of experience. Of course, If I'd bought a Uni-body Macbook, which I seriously looked into after hearing the non-stop hype, I'd have lost the dock, usable screen, drive caddies, finger-print reader, built in 3G, reliable power supply, and a lot more.