Pressure From iPad Will Help PC Market, Says Expert

Apple says it sold 15.4 million iPads globally last quarter, more than double sales during the same period in 2010.

This makes for an incredible 39 per cent increase over the iPad's former record quarter, when Apple sold 11.1 million units.

Industry analysts at IDC (International Data Corporation) say they believe Apple sold more iPads than HP, Lenovo, or Dell sold 'traditional' computers in the quarter.

Expert: Pressure From iPad Will Help PC Market

However, it may not be all doom and gloom for the PC.

David Daoud at IDC thinks that pressure from Apple's tablet could lead to widespread benefits, actually inspiring PC manufacturers to produce devices that incorporate the best of both form factors.

"We are going to see, by the end of the year or early in 2013, a proliferation of devices that are going to try to compete with the iPad, a uber-computer that fills the need of the old computer world but also runs applications as a tablet," Daoud said. (Source: computerworld.com)

According to IDC, hardware heavyweight Hewlett-Packard (HP) sold about 15.1 million notebook and desktop computers last quarter, while Lenovo and Dell -- the second- and third-best selling hardware manufacturers -- shipped 13 million and 11.9 million computers, respectively, in the period. (Source: appleinsider.com)

However, iPads don't generate the same amount of revenue as PCs. The average prices (ASP) of both notebooks ($758) and desktops ($600) remain higher than tablets ($593).

PC Manufacturers Boast Better Year

All three PC makers had better years than Apple, overall, even though their fourth quarters weren't quite as impressive. Apple sold 40.7 million iPads in 2011, in total, while HP (62.3 million), Dell (44.3 million) and Lenovo (44 million) all sold far more personal computers.

It's worth noting, however, that Apple did sell more iPads than Acer (30.7 million) and Asus (20 million) sold PCs.