The appeal of mobile computing has finally won out, with research numbers put forth by iSuppli suggesting that global desktop shipments have been surpassed, for the very first time, by shipments of notebook hardware.
Notebook shipments surpass desktops for first time. Image: DarkSideX/Flickr.
iSuppli’s latest quarterly figures reveal that notebook shipments hit 38.6 million units in Q3, which marks an increase of some 40 percent. By comparison, shipments of desktop systems dropped by 1.3 percent to a quarterly total of 38.5 million units.
“This marks a major event in the PC market because it marks the start of the age of the notebook,” said iSuppli analyst Matthew Wilkins in an accompanying statement. “The notebook PC is no longer a tool only for the business market or a computer for the well-off consumer; it’s now a computer for everyman.”
In terms of individual manufacturing performance, iSuppli notes that Taiwan-based Acer Inc. emerged as the most active of leading system makers, shipping close to three million more notebooks during Q3 than it did in Q2.
Acer’s boosted shipments saw it secure 12.2 percent of the PC market and become the world’s third biggest manufacturer behind Dell Inc. and Hewlett-Packard Co., which have a 13.9 percent and 18.8 percent share respectively.
Filling out the top five computer makers are Lenovo with 7.5 percent of the market, and Toshiba with 4.6 percent. Cupertino-based Apple lost almost half a point of traction over the quarter and ended the period in seventh with 3.2 percent.
Global quarterly shipments of PC systems (both desktop and notebook) rose by 15.4 percent to hit a total of 79 million units. iSuppli has also increased its unit growth prediction for the year from 12.5 percent to a rounded 13 percent.
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