Apple Becomes Number Three Maker In The U.S. As Overall PC Sales Climb Worldwide

If Apple has finally made it onto the winner's podium, can it still be considered the underdog?

Cupertino-based Apple Computer Inc. is now the third largest PC maker in America, by sales volume, according to preliminary figures released Wednesday by technology market research firm Gartner Inc.

AppleInsider reports that Apple outsold Acer and Toshiba in a the second quarter of 2008:

Overall, Apple's share of the US PC market was up more than 2 percent compared to the same period last year. Total US PC shipments reached 16.5 million units in the second quarter of 2008, a 4.2 percent increase from the same period last year.

AppleInsider noted, however, that while macs are doing well at home, Apple

did not place within the top five manufacturers worldwide, meaning its global share of the market remains behind the 4.4 percent achieved by fifth place holder Toshiba, which sold a total of 3.14 million units in the second quarter.

Meanwhile, The Wall Street Journal published a story Thursday about an overall rise in PC sales worldwide. The Journal says sales were particularly strong in Britain, but "soft" in Asia:

World-wide personal-computer sales grew at a healthy clip in the second quarter, two research firms said, with Hewlett-Packard Inc. holding on to its top ranking despite rapid growth by No. 2 Dell Inc.

Gartner Inc. said world-wide PC shipments grew 16% in the period, with U.S. shipments growing 4.2%. Rival IDC put world-wide growth at 15%, with U.S. shipments up 3.6%.

Brisk notebook PC sales, particularly outside the U.S., were cited as a major factor in the quarter. Despite the growth, Gartner analyst Mika Kitagawa warned that "economic uncertainties have hit PC revenues," which has led to declining prices in the U.S. and Europe and could cause a "significant wave of consolidation if strong vendors continue to press their pricing advantage."

IDC analyst Loren Loverde cautioned that growth in Asia "was unexpectedly soft." Since countries such as India and China are important growth markets for large PC makers, he said, that could bode poorly for future growth. "Economic challenges are spreading ahead of the U.S.," he said.