Apple number one portable maker... if you count iPad

That rocket ship-like Apple uptake in the chart above occurs when you count iPad along with notebooks as one, giant portable market. If you don't count it, Apple falls behind the likes of Acer, ASUS, Dell, HP, and Samsung.

While no doubt debate will continue to rage over just how to meld the PC and post-PC categories, and the tablet iPad market, Deutsche Bank's Chris Whitmore mass t

Within the computing market, we see significant opportunity for Apple to take meaningful share in the second half as the Microsoft / PC ecosystem is relatively stagnant, lacking meaningful new offerings. On the other hand, Apple will be competing with an upgraded Mac OS, new MacBook Airs (and other forthcoming Macs) and a new iPad iOS. Within the Tablet market, the iPad remains the Gold Standard as competitors struggle for mindshare and traction (note HP's price cuts on the TouchPad). Meanwhile, competing PC manufacturers have suggested Ultrabooks won't ramp in material volumes until 2012 due to challenges driving price points meaningfully below Apple's Air. As such, Apple appears particularly well positioned for more share gains heading into the back-to- school and holiday selling season.

Rene Ritchie
Contributor

Rene Ritchie is one of the most respected Apple analysts in the business, reaching a combined audience of over 40 million readers a month. His YouTube channel, Vector, has over 90 thousand subscribers and 14 million views and his podcasts, including Debug, have been downloaded over 20 million times. He also regularly co-hosts MacBreak Weekly for the TWiT network and co-hosted CES Live! and Talk Mobile. Based in Montreal, Rene is a former director of product marketing, web developer, and graphic designer. He's authored several books and appeared on numerous television and radio segments to discuss Apple and the technology industry. When not working, he likes to cook, grapple, and spend time with his friends and family.