Apple leads PC plus tablet market, ahead of Lenovo and Samsung

Apple remains the world’s largest PC and tablet manufacturer, ahead of key rivals Samsung and Lenovo, according to new Canalys figures.

The figures show that while the traditional PC market (excluding tablets) shrank by 6.9% year-on-year during the fourth quarter of 2014, shipments grew by 17.9% when tablets are included.

The figures show total worldwide tablet shipments grew by 65.9% year-on-year to reach 76.3 million units for the quarter, with tablets now representing 48.3% of all computer shipments.

The clear market leader was Apple, shipping 30.9 million iPads and Macs during the fourth quarter to claim 19.5% of the global market.

“Apple’s share of the overall tablet market increased sequentially from 27.3% to 34.1%, with the launch of the iPad Air and iPad mini with Retina display providing a much needed boost,” Canalys says in a statement.

“The original iPad mini also fell in price, down to US$299 in the US, making it cheaper than ever to buy an iPad.”

Lenovo came in second, with the Chinese computer maker snagging 11.8% of the market during the fourth quarter.

“Lenovo was early to embrace Android as a tablet OS, while the likes of HP and Dell waited for Windows 8 and prioritized margin over volume. Lenovo’s strategy has paid off, not only in its home market but worldwide,” the report states.

Samsung claimed third place with 18.2 million unit shipments for the quarter, with tablets representing 14.5 million units, or 79.7% of its total.