HP CEO Meg Whitman admitted in a recent interview that if you count tablets, Apple may very well bust past them in PC sales after holiday sales are tallied up. A bunch of analyst estimates suggest Apple could break 20 million combined iPad and Mac unit sales over the holidays. That would put it over the   14.7 million that HP had churned out last quarter, and well ahead of other manufacturers like Acer, Dell, and Lenovo. Of course, if you don't count the iPad, and only Mac sales, Apple falls well behind the whole lot.  Over the holidays, it's estimated Apple cleared little over 5 million Mac units.

I'm still a little dubious about counting the current breed of tablets as full-blown PCs, despite being great computing devices. There's no lack of Macbook Air owners that aren't inclined to also carry around an iPad, and Windows 8 is showing that other big-boy laptops will soon be able to slim down to the size of tablets borne of smartphone operating systems.

These are interesting estimates to consider, but we won't know for sure how well Apple's Mac and iPad sales did until they announce their quarterly results on January 24. What do you guys think - is it fair to lump in the iPad with Mac sales when talking about the PC market?

Source: TechCrunch via Asymco

Andy Lark, global head of marketing for Dell -- and we assume the dude who used to tell dudes they were getting Dells, dude? -- decided to talk a little Apple and iPad 2 at CIO Australia. We'd make fun of what he said but unfortunately he beat us to it:

“Apple is great if you’ve got a lot of money and live on an island. It’s not so great if you have to exist in a diverse, open, connected enterprise; simple things become quite complex.”

“An iPad with a keyboard, a mouse and a case [means] you’ll be at $1500 or $1600; that’s double of what you’re paying," he claimed. "That’s not feasible.”

Wait, what?! Not to get all Macalope on the dude, but let me break out my abacus app and double check that. In Australian dollars, iPad 16GB is $579, BT keyboard is $99, mouse is $0 (no mice for iPad, genius), smart cover is $45... carry the yellow bead... and thats $723. If we bump iPad 2 to the highest end and wrap it it leather, it's still only $1127.

Easy to see where Lark went wrong. I've owned cheap plastic Dells. They cracked and broke and burnt out so much faster than Apple hardware he probably thinks you'll have to replace your iPad two or three times a year just like he does his hackintoshed Mini. Not so good Lark. (And if one does have a problem the Apple Store will typically swap it out, no need to stay on hold for 97 hours with what simply has to be a robotic customer service center drone on Lost Island that still can't pass the Turing test. Dude.)

UPDATE: Looks like Microsoft global research and strategy officer, Craig Mundie got a peak at the same talking points, telling the Committee for Economic Development of Australia that he wasn't sure iPads would remain with us or not.

Whatever could Dell and Microsoft be afraid of, besides not having anything competitive to offer?

[CIO, thanks to Lark for the chance to snark!]

Yeah, yeah, Michael Dell once said Apple should be shut down and the money returned to shareholders. We all know the can of whupApps Steve Jobs has unleashed on the industry since then. These days, Apple's profits look as good as their products and Dell's... likewise.

So it's with no small amount of trepidation we notice WMExperts noticing the world noticing Dell might just be making an entry into the smartphone market...

What's wrong with that picture is pretty much what's wrong with the exhibit in general. While Apple holds a fairly small percentage of the global cellphone market (as it does the global computer market), it happens to enjoy among the largest percentage of profit in the market (also, as it does with computers).

MacDailyNews highlights that while Apple ships an insignificant number of units compared to a behemoth like Nokia, it makes DOUBLE the profit of Nokia. Likewise, while rivals such as the Palm Pre are getting some much deserved attention, their finances (and thus ability to pay talent and fund much needed R&D) are on the brink -- while Apple has nearly $30 BILLION in the bank.

So, while carriers are increasingly desperate for "hero" phones to make a splash and attract high-spending customers, according to mocoNews.net, current performance is showing few -- if any -- can currently match either the return on investment, or user experience, of the iPhone.

Sure, the smartphone market in general is continuing to grow, and may even be recession proof according to Forbes, but is anyone outside of Apple really poised with enough creativity, cash, and cunning to leverage it?

[Thanks to Jeremy and Dieter for source links!]

Michael Dell has gone done and opened his mouth about Apple again:

"Yeah, I could take [Steve Jobs in a fight]."

He's gone done and done it before, of course:

"What would I do [with Apple]? I’d shut it down and give the money back to the shareholders."

And we all know how well that's worked out. Any reason to think this time will be different? Let's check out the tale of the tape:

Ego: Both are crushing. However, Jobs' company is called Apple, not Jobs. Edge: Dell.

Build: Jobs is Vegan thin. Dell is big as Texas beef. Edge: Dell.

Reach: Dell once made profits based on Walmart-style supply-chain "management" and low labour costs. Jobs continues to make profits based on unparalleled technological design and innovation. Edge: Jobs.

Record: APPL: $187.01, DELL: $21.69. Edge: Jobs.

Judges?

Dude, you're getting Vulcan nerve pinched by Mac.

(tip'o the hat to Dieter for the inspiration)

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