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Apple doesn't need netbooks
Analyst says Macs selling well already
By Agam Shah
Published: 11:21 GMT, 16 October 09
Netbooks were instrumental in the increase in PC shipments for most manufacturers during the third quarter, but Apple defied the trend despite offering standard laptops at premium prices, according to figures from analyst firm Gartner.
Apple executives in the past have trashed netbooks as junky devices with cramped keyboards and the company does not yet have a netbook on the market. Most PC vendors, including Acer, HP and Dell are offering netbooks, which are low cost and designed to perform basic tasks like word processing.
Apple's PC shipments in the US grew year over year by 6.8 percent to total 1.57 million during the third quarter, placing the company fourth behind Dell, HP and Acer, according to numbers released by Gartner on Wednesday. Overall PC shipments in the US grew by 3.5 percent year over year to total 17.82 million.
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Apple's growth was driven by dedicated fans of the company's products and the education market, said Mikako Kitagawa, principal research analyst at Gartner.
Comparatively, growth in PC shipments for companies like HP and Acer came from low-priced laptops and mini-notebooks, which includes netbooks. Netbooks especially helped Acer's shipments, which grew by 61.4 percent year-over-year. HP's third-quarter shipments grew by 2.7 percent.
Netbooks attracted interest during the quarter because of low prices, Kitagawa said. Dell offers netbooks, but its shipments dropped by 8.9 percent during the quarter, Gartner said.
Like Apple, Dell is trying to de-emphasise netbooks to focus on profit margins, but there is a difference between the companies, Katagawa said. Dell offers mini-notebooks, but isn't as aggressive in the space as Acer and HP. Dell was the top PC vendor in the US with a 26.2 percent market share, while Apple held an 8.8 percent market share.
Apple's brand recognition means that its customers do not mind paying a premium, she said. "That is what they are built for, that is something no other PC vendor can do," Kitagawa said.
Gartner's PC shipment numbers are an estimate and will be finalised in November, Kitagawa said. IDC also reported third quarter PC shipments on Wednesday, and said Apple's shipments grew by 11.8 percent year over year. Apple is announcing its fourth quarter financial results on Monday, in which it will share the number of Macintosh laptops and desktops shipped during the quarter.
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