Apple loses PC crown to Lenovo

Slowing iPad sales see tech giant knocked from the top spot

Chinese giant Lenovo has dethroned Apple from its place at the top of the PC market, according to figures from Canalys.

In the second quarter of 2015, Lenovo shipped almost 16 million PCs – about a quarter of a million more than Apple – gaining it 15 per cent market share.

"Apple and Lenovo lead the market in their home countries of the US and China respectively," said senior Canalys analyst Tim Coulling.

"But Apple is heavily reliant on worldwide iPad shipments, which totalled 10.9 million units this quarter. IPads represented 70 per cent of Apple's total PC shipments in Q2, and these shipments have been falling year on year since peaking in Q4 2013. Apple remains exposed to the fortunes of the worldwide tablet market, which has experienced annual declines for three consecutive quarters."

Lenovo, on the other hand, has almost a third – 30 per cent – of the Chinese PC market, and coupled with its slowly but steadily growing US presence, it is becoming stronger on a global scale.

"With a more diverse product portfolio, Lenovo is in a stronger position than Apple to cement its lead in the market," Coulling added. "But it is not without its own challenges, and has recently had to take steps to clear a significant build-up of PC inventory in EMEA."

Overall, the global PC market fell 12 per cent annually to 109.2 million units in Q2, Canalys said, with double-digit declines across desktops, notebooks and tablets.