Apple overtakes Asus to become fourth largest notebook maker

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13 inch MacBook Pro with Touch Bar
Notebook sales increased more than expected last year.
Photo: Apple

Global notebook shipments increased more than expected last year, and part of it came down to Apple’s strong MacBook growth.

According to a new report from market research firm TrendForce, Apple recorded a 9.6 percent market share in global notebook shipments, up from 8.3 percent the previous year. As a result, Apple overtook Asus to become the fourth largest notebook maker by shipments, compared to the fifth largest in 2016.

Based on early estimates concerning 2018, the report suggests that Apple will round off 2018 with 10.4 percent of the market, raising it another percentage point against rivals who are showing less growth. TrendForce notes that the updated MacBook Pro has been a particularly good seller for Apple.

TrendForce
A look at notebook shipments over the past couple of years.
Photo: TrendForce

Notebook shipments are on the rise

Overall, TrendForce claims that the global notebook shipments for 2017 were in the region of 164.7 million units, a year-on-year increase of 2.1 percent. This is higher than previous expectations of a 0.7 percent increase, and another piece of information suggesting that — despite what some critics say — we’re not yet living in a post-PC world.

Ahead of Apple are market leaders HP, Lenovo, Dell. Of these, HP showed just under 2 percent growth in market share, while Lenovo and Dell lost ground.

“The global notebook market has benefited from biddings for notebook contracts in North America and regional economic recovery,” said Kou-Han Tseng, TrendForce notebook analyst. “In 2017, the market leader HP showed a considerable growth, driving the overall performance of notebook shipments beyond previous expectation.”

Did you buy a new notebook last year? Planning to do so in 2018? If so, which model will you be splashing your hard-earned cash on?

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