Apple's European Sales Down, But Market Share Remains Unchanged

A ppleis market share has remained unchanged in the June quarter (Appleis third quarter), but the whole story is more complicated, according to an article at Macworld UK. While Appleis notebook sales have been strong, little demand for Appleis desktop line has brought the average back down.

On a more positive note, the market for notebooks in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa grew 39% in the second quarter of 2003, but Appleis offerings actually beat that average, with the PowerBook G4 growing 46.5% and the iBook growing 56.2%. Overall, according to Macworld UK, though Appleis unit shipments were down, they were in line with the market, leaving Appleis market share unchanged. From Macworld UK:

IDC says that although Appleis performance was bolstered by strong notebook sales, it was also negatively impacted by weakness in its desktop market.

"It is still at ninth position within the European market," analyst Ian Gibbs told Macworld last night. However, "Appleis shipments have decreased year-on-year for a second quarter running – this time by 0.7 per cent," the analyst claimed.

This has not affected market share because: "Appleis strengths in the quarter really lay in its attractive notebook offerings."

You can read the full article at Macworld UKis Web site.