PC Market Share Q3 2010: With 10 Percent Share, Apple Tied for Third Place in US

Of course, we have to figure out what to do with the iPad. The argument for including it is that it does PC functions, and is apparently what many people need as a "PC". The argument against it is that it is a satellite device that requires a Mac OS X computer as an anchor, so in that sense it is a special purpose device, not a "full" PC. Of course, all the PC's sold that become cash registers and airline reservation terminals and thin clients in businesses are special purpose devices too, yet are included as "PC" sales. So, I suppose it doesn't matter, except for the marketshare mania. Include iPads and Apple is probably the #1 PC vendor in the US. Exclude them and put them in a separate category, and it doesn't really make any difference, since Apple is still the fastest growing, highest marketcap vendor with by far the biggest upside for the future. Whatever the categories are, Apple is more than 10 times the size of Dell, even though they sell 1/2 the PCs. When new categories appear, this marketshare calculation needs some rethinking. At the least, more than one metric is needed for a sensible discussion.

...and they make lots of money to boot.

"Math is hard". As in

NFL Ref Norm Schachter (LA school teacher) explains penalty options to Cleveland QB Frank Ryan a year or two after Ryan got his PhD in Math.

Schachter: blah blah

Ryan (distracted by thoughts of next play call): Schachter, what the hell are you talking about?

Schachter: Well, Dr Ryan, on the west coast we call it 'arithmetic'.

[Paraphrased from one of Schachter's speaking tour talks.]

Are tablet computers included in any of those market share numbers? I am wondering if the numbers include sales of the Lenovo Ideapad, the Compaq TC1100 tablet PC, or the HP TM2T Tablet PC? It would be a shame if tablet computers were not included in those market share figures. Especially if one vendor were underrepresented because of this oversight.

The controversy seems to be whether iPad should be considered a PC or not. Gartner includes netbooks in their calculation while excluding iPad. While that maybe a valid statement, the fact remains, many folks consider netbooks and iPad to be equivalent (that is, secondary PC used primarily for consuming).

It's been a while, so I'll report that my $399 ACER laptop is doing very well. I think it'll be two years old this black Friday.

@nutmac no way a netbook compares to an iPad at least for funtionality.

Not going to argue that the iPad is hurting Netbook because I think it is.

With a netbook, I can load any OS that will run on it.  I can plug in hundreds of USB devices, add RAM, add a hard drive, run full copies of Office, photoshop, even CAD (yes it would be slow).  I plug my netbook into my SAN, or lots of Cisco equipment via a USB to serial adapter, and connect to them with my choice of software, that I install.

With an iPad I can only do what Apple lets me do and only with software, the hardware is totally locked.

There needs to be a new class.  The iPad is a "Computing Appliance" that is 90% (maybe more) consumption.  Before the iPad there were lots of users that had a full PC (laptop, netbook, desktop) that used them as 90% consumption devices.  The iPad and other "Computing Appliances" coming down the road are perfect for them.  When the iPad can cut the cord it will even quicken the move of "Consumption Users" to these type of devices.  I think some will still have computers, as a safety net, but will probably hold onto them for longer, and have fewer of them.  A house with 2-5 computers now might end up with 1-2 and these new devices.