Gartner report places Apple in 5th place

HP has surpassed Dell as the market leader for computers sold in the United States during the fourth quarter of 2009, according to data collected by the research firm Gartner. The report places Apple in fifth place with 7.5 percent of domestic shipments, while Toshiba edged slightly ahead with an 8.7 percent hold on the market.

Toshiba shipped 70 percent more computers in the fourth quarter of 2009 than in the same period of the prior year, while Apple only saw an increase of 23 percent. Dell was only able to expand its shipments by 5.5 percent, despite the average 26.5 percent growth demonstrated by its peers.

The Q4 numbers show a slightly different trend than IDC's latest report, which placed Apple at fourth place for the entire year of 2009. When comparing numbers from all four quarters, the Mac maker achieved an 8 percent market share while Toshiba fell slightly behind with 7.7 percent.

Overall global shipments of computers in the fourth quarter of 2009 showed a 22 percent gain from the final quarter in 2008, marking the largest jump that Gartner has observed in the last seven years. Although Apple's shipment growth appears to be modest when compared to many of its competitors, the company has been praised for maintaining higher average selling prices (ASPs).

"Aggressive promotion by PC vendors and channels stimulated consumer PC demand,” said Gartner analyst Mikako Kitagawa. "However, some vendors made damaging price cuts to increase market share."

By Electronista Staff