iPad as a driving force in mobile PC sales

Apple took over HP and became the leading client PC vendor globally in the fourth quarter of 2011. As we have found from its quarterly earnings call, Apple recorded stellar sales, which now place the company at the top of the list.

Many agree that with the launch of the iPad, Apple has drawn a line signaling the end of the PC-as-we-know-it era and a new start of a mobile computing ers. Nearly two years after the launch, the numbers are confirming that the PC market is declining if we don’t include the iPad.

This is what the Canalys study highlights, while offering a cross-sectional view of the PC market. If they count the iPad in, the PC market is up; without it, the client PC market has dropped by 0.4%. What Canalys and the other research companies underline: the tablet market is growing at a fast pace. Canalys recorded a 16% growth of the PC market – including the tablets – on a year-over-year basis.

Apple is now the world’s leading PC vendor as of Q4 of 2011, with its 15.4 million iPads and 57 million Macs, representing 17% of the total 120 million client PCs shipped globally in the last quarter of 2011.

Now, the PC market demands more tablets than PCs – the key players are closing the gap on each other. With Apple surpassing its competitors with the iPad, the fierce fight is between HP, Lenovo and Dell.

iPads accounted for 22% of total PC shipments during Q4 of 2011. In addition to Apple’s strong performance, the Amazon Kindle Fire and the Nook Tablet by Barnes and Noble boosted volumes in the U.S. market, allowing both vendors to claim spots among the top five worldwide pad makers, in second and fifth places respectively, the Canalys report notes.

What the Singapore-based research company and the other reports suggest: this year we are going to witness a strong fight based on technical specifications. So, take your seats, Ladies and Gentlemen, and let the game begin.