Apple has widened its share of the personal computer market, although the technology giant suffered a slump in its sales of Macs, according to estimates from research firm IDC.
Cupertino-based Apple sold 5.32 million desktop and laptop computers in the third quarter, IDC said. That was down 3.4 percent from the 5.51 million computers Apple sold in the year-ago third quarter.
Market share, though, is growing, according to IDC s numbers.
During the recent third quarter, Apple commanded a 7.5 percent share of the computer market, up from 6.9 percent a year ago, IDC said. That was enough to move Apple up to No. 4 in market share for the computer market, pushing past Acer, which is now No. 5.
Lenovo was No. 1 with a 21 percent share, Palo Alto-based Hewlett-Packard was No. 2 with a 19.6 percent share and Dell was No. 3 with a 14.3 percent share.
Apple is really living off its iPhone, said Rob Enderle, a San Jose-based analyst who tracks the technology sector. Mac sales are slowing, iPads are in decline, the iPod is in decline, the Apple Watch hasn t taken off.
However, it s possible that the actual numbers could wind up drastically different. Some observers point out that IDC sometimes underestimates or overestimates unit sales of Apple computers. Apple will disclose sales numbers when it releases earnings Oct. 27.
Worldwide personal computer shipments totaled 70.98 million during the third quarter, down 10.8 percent from the year before, IDC said.
Each of the top five personal computer makers suffered a decline in total shipments, but four — Lenovo, HP, Dell and Apple — all captured a larger share of a shrinking market.
Photo: Apple logo seen in San Francisco. (Getty Images)
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