Apple’s worldwide share of PC market reaches 15-year high

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Apple’s Mac has reached 5.2% of worldwide computer sales, a 15-year high for the Cupertino, Calif., tech giant, according to a report by Needham & Co. analyst Charlie Wolf cited on GigaOM.

Although that’s just a small slice of the overall computer space, it’s an important benchmark for Apple, which has been trying to grab market share from major computer makers including Dell, Hewlett-Packard and Acer.

Wolf said Mac shipment growth in the third quarter outpaced the total PC market for the 22nd straight quarter, 24.6% to 5.3%.

In the home segment, Mac’s growth was 25.6% versus 4% for the overall market; among businesses, Mac’s increase of 43.8% far outpaced the wider market’s 4.8% rise.

Wolf also said Asia Pacific represented the fastest-growing geographic region for Apple with 57.2% growth for the quarter, according to AppleInsider.

‘The growth of Apple’s sales in China represents a perfect storm between an iconic brand and a rapidly growing middle class that’s more brand-conscious than consumers in most other regions of the globe,’ Wolf said.

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-- Andrea Chang