Although there are still heated discussions regarding the consideration of the iPad tablet as a PC, some American analysts I support that this year Apple could "capture" an important share of the portable computer market thanks to the tablet launched last year. In the graph above we present the market shares for 6 of the largest manufacturers of portable computers and we notice that Apple is in the last position for now, but if we also take into account the sales of iPad tablets then by the end of the year Apple could even reach the largest manufacturer of portable computers.
Within the computing market, we see significant opportunity for Apple to take meaningful share in the second half as the Microsoft / PC ecosystem is relatively stagnant, lacking meaningful new offerings. On the other hand, Apple will be competing with an upgraded Mac OS, new MacBook Airs (and other forthcoming Macs) and a new iPad iOS. Within the Tablet market, the iPad remains the Gold Standard as competitors struggle for mindshare and traction (note HP's price cuts on the TouchPad). Meanwhile, competing PC manufacturers have suggested Ultrabooks won't ramp in material volumes until 2012 due to challenges driving price points meaningfully below Apple's Air. As such, Apple appears particularly well positioned for more share gains heading into the back-to-school and holiday selling season.
Of course, Apple also sells MacBooks, in case you forgot, and a Deutsche Bank analyst claims that Apple could "steal" part of the market share from other manufacturers even without the iPad tablet. Unfortunately, the iPad tablet is the only device that makes Apple a relevant manufacturer in the field of computers/portable computers considering that the sales of Macs are far below those of PCs marketed by Dell, HP or Acer. From my point of view, the ipad tablet should be placed in its own category, that of tablets, and Apple should be left to fight with Macs on the computer market.
