Don’t Forget the Mac

Bloomberg, reporting on Microsoft’s quarterly results:

Personal computer shipments unexpectedly fell 3.2 percent in the quarter as businesses and consumers held off purchases and shifted to tablet computers, IDC said. Microsoft’s multi-year contracts with corporations weren’t enough to make up for businesses that are holding onto machines for longer periods and consumers who are choosing iPads over a new laptop with Windows.

The iPad does seem to have siphoned off much of the growth in the PC industry. But don’t forget that Mac sales are up, too — 28 percent higher in the just-completed quarter than a year ago. So it’s really more that Apple has taken the growth, with the Mac at the high end and the iPad at the low end.

★ Thursday, 28 April 2011