IPad domination: Apple continues to lead in mobile PC shipments

Apple’s dominance of the mobile PC and tablet market continued through the first quarter of 2012, according to a new forecast report.

Apple towered over the tablet sector with the iPad while also keeping a strong hold at the top of mobile PC shipments, which include notebook PCs.

The iPad continues to be the most-sold tablet, accounting for nearly 63% of market share and seeing year-to-year growth of 162% for the first quarter, according to NPD DisplaySearch’s report.

Falling in line behind Apple’s 13.6 million shipped units was Samsung, which overtook No. 3 Amazon while RIM and ASUS came in fourth and fifth places, respectively. Notably missing from the top five was Barnes & Noble.

In total mobile PC shipments, which includes tablets as well as notebooks and mini-notebooks, Apple also led the way.

The Cupertino-based company held a market share of 22.5% that was nearly twice as large as its closest competitor, which was HP with an 11.6% share. In this arena, Apple shipped 17.2 million units, with the non-iPad units likely being MacBook Airs, although the report did not specify.

In the strictly notebook and mini-notebook PC sector, HP was in first place. HP shipped nearly 9 million units and had a market share of 16.2%. After it came Acer Group with 6.5 million shipped units and almost 12% market share.

Mobile PCs experienced 30% year-to-year growth, but that growth is mostly coming from tablets. Individually, tablets had 124% year-to-year growth, dwarfing that of notebooks and mini-notebooks, which was only 12%.

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