2010 was a breakout year for Apple’s iPad. When it first came out, we dared to question it, but one year later the device is undoubtedly a success. Today, statistics from DisplaySearch show that the iPad was not only a success, but also propelled Apple to the top of the list of mobile PC makers.
According to the report, Apple is excelling in both iPad and notebook sales, with 10.2 million sales in the final quarter of 2010, putting it more than a million ahead of the nearest competitor.
The report acknowledges that Apple is “benefiting from a first-mover advantage,” but points out that “its notebook PC shipment growth rate continues to exceed the industry average.”
Richard Shim, a senior analyst with DisplaySearch, says that competition is on the way, but that Apple may be difficult to knock down.
“While we anticipate increased competition in the tablet PC market later this year with the introduction of Android Honeycomb-based tablets, Apple’s iPad business is complementing a notebook line whose shipments widely exceed the industry average growth rate,” said Shim. “Apple is currently benefiting from significant and comprehensive growth from both sectors of the mobile PC spectrum, notebooks and tablet PCs. Cannibalization seems limited at this point.”
Of course, HP, which is a close second on this list, just announced the HP TouchPad last week to a good deal of positive reviews. A variety of other tablets have hit the market, or are just about to, so we’d love to see what these numbers look like halfway through 2011.
What do you think – can Apple hold on to it’s lead? Or will it only get bigger with the (expected) launch of iPad 2.0?
