Apple Advances and Gains in Mobile PC Device Market Because of iPad

If the iPad is categorized as traditional laptop, Apple is the largest mobile PC seller in the US, and the third largest worldwide. The "iPad effect" is shaking up the mobile computing market.

Only accounting sales of the first generation iPad as of late last year, Apple shipped 6.3 million mobile PCs worldwide. This put Apple in third place globally after HP and Acer, with 12.4% market share.

Without the iPad, Apple's mobile PC market would be 4.8%, ranking #8. The iPad already outsells the Mac and is expected to displace PC sales in the future. Steve Jobs and other Apple representatives would call this the coming of a post-PC era.

I suspect the iPad 2 and any subsequent generations will be just as popular as the first. Tablets will only get more popular worldwide, particularly in more developed nations, as people want to always 'be connect' and a tablet is an ideal device for that – a smart phone is too small and limited and a laptop has to be launched on and can be heavy. Also, many people really only use computers for sending and checking email, entertainment, and light work, a tablet device might seem more attractive to these consumers then a whole laptop...and the iPad will certainly be the tablet of choice.