NPD: Apple's mobile PC shipments reached nearly 17.2 million units in Q1 2012, with iPad accounting for 80%

According to the latest "Quarterly Mobile PC Shipment and Forecast Report" released by market research company NPD DisplaySearch, Apple shipped nearly 17.2 million mobile PCs in the first quarter of this year, of which iPad accounted for nearly 80%, reaching more than 13.6 million units, an increase of 162% year-on-year. The total mobile PC shipments in the first quarter of this year were 76.2 million units, a decrease of 15% from the previous month and a year-on-year increase of 30%. Tablet shipments increased by 124% year-on-year, and notebook and mini notebook shipments increased by 12%.

In terms of regions, China saw the largest month-on-month growth in shipments, with mobile PCs increasing by 13%, notebooks and mini-notebooks increasing by 12%, and tablets increasing by 16%. This is worthy of attention as shipments of mobile PCs and even TVs, monitors and other products have continued to decline in other regions of the world.

Tablets boosted Apple's mobile PC growth, accounting for 22.5% of the total market share, twice that of HP. The other top five brands rely on notebook shipments to maintain their positions.

In the notebook and mini-notebook market, most Tier 1 brands took a conservative approach to shipments, choosing to focus on improving profits rather than expanding market share. HP was one of the few Tier 1 vendors to increase shipments year-on-year, increasing by nearly 700,000 units. HP maintained its No. 1 position in notebooks and mini-notebooks with a 16.2% share, but shipments in the EMEA market fell 17% year-on-year. Acer had an 11.9% share with shipments of 6.5 million units. Although the Chinese market was a key region for Acer during the quarter, Lenovo was the biggest beneficiary of the surge in shipments in the Chinese market. Lenovo also gained share in the North American market, while Dell lost some share due to its urgent need to focus on the enterprise segment. Among all Tier 1 brands, Acer expanded the most rapidly, increasing its market share in all regions.

Apple still dominates the tablet market, with a 62.8% market share in the first quarter of this year. Barnes & Noble fell out of the top five. Amazon dropped from second to third. Samsung regained the second place thanks to strong performance in the European, Middle Eastern and African markets. RIM and Asus returned to the top five after weak performance in the previous quarter.