Its time to update the biggest computer-maker listing. I really wish the big analyst houses would take over this chore, they report on the data separately already.. but yes, I was the first to start to count smartphones into the total computer shipment numbers and have reported that statistic now for many years already. If you want to see the chart for end of 2011, its here.. Time to do the 2012 number update:





So I have taken total computer shipments in units (mainframes, desktop PCs, laptop PCs, notebook and netbook PCs; plus tablet PCs like the iPad, Kindle and and Galaxy Tab; and smartphones - but not basic 'featurephones'). I used the best available data such as summaries by Gartner and IDC, plus individual company data for the non-smartphone computer data, and my own company analysis for the smartphone data for year 2012. Here is the Top 10 biggest computer makers chart, when all forms of personal computers are included:

LARGEST COMPUTER MAKERS WHEN SMARTPHONES & TABLETS INCLUDED

Rank (was) . . Brand . . . . . . Units 2012 . . Market Share 2012

1 (1) . . . . . . . Apple . . . . . . 272 M . . . . . 22%

2 (2) . . . . . . . Samsung . . . 249 M . . . . . 20%

3 (6) . . . . . . . Lenovo . . . . . . 77 M . . . . . . 6%

4 (4) . . . . . . . HP . . . . . . . . 59 M . . . . . . 5%

5 (7) . . . . . . . Dell . . . . . . . . 38 M . . . . . . 3%

6 (10) . . . . . . Sony . . . . . . . 37 M . . . . . . 3%

7 (9) . . . . . . . Acer . . . . . . . 36 M . . . . . . 3%

8 (3) . . . . . . . Nokia . . . . . . . 35 M . . . . . . 3%

9 (5). . . . . . . RIM . . . . . . . . 35 M . . . . . . 3%

10 (-) . . . . . . Huawei . . . . . . 32 M . . . . . . 3%

. . . . . . . . . . Others . . . . . 354 M . . . . . 27%

TOTAL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,224 M

Source: TomiAhonen Almanac 2013 from company and industry data, February 2013

This data and this table may be freely shared



If you want to see how that splits by type of computer, it goes like this:

Smartphones . . . . . . 695 M . . 57%

Traditional PCs . . . . 353 M . . 29%

Tablet PCs . . . . . . . 176 M . . 14%

Total Computers . . 1,224 M

Source: TomiAhonen Almanac 2013 from company and industry data, February 2013

This data and this table may be freely shared



Note the near perfect symmetry in the data for 2012. Tablet pcs sold almost half a million per day. Traditional PCs sold almost exactly twice that number, almost 1 million per day. And smartphones sold nearly twice as many as traditional PCs, and almost 2 million per day...



Looking at the Top 10 chart, Apple holds onto the top slot for the third year in a row but now starts to feel the heat of Samsung closing. Nokia tumbled from the past number 1 slot all the way down to 8th ranking and may tumble out of the list by the end of this year. Lenovo moved up fast powered by its smartphones and HP holds stubbornlhy onto the 4th ranking based only by its traditional PC sales (but there are rumors HP may come back to smartphones once again.) Chinese maker Huawei enters the chart powered only by its smartphone sales. Sony is moving up the chart as well from 10th to 7th while RIM is falling fast to 9th (was ranked 5th last time). HTC fell out of the Top 10. Then lets look at the operating system war





LARGEST OPERATING SYSTEMS OF COMPUTERS WHEN SMARTPHONES & TABLETS INCLUDED

Rank . . . . . Brand . . . . . . Units 2012 . . Market Share 2012 . . Market Share 2011

1 (2) . . . . . Android . . . . . 462 M . . . . . . 38% . . . . . . . . . . . . 23%

1 (1) . . . . . Windows . . . . 296 M . . . . . . 24% . . . . . . . . . . . . 31%

3 (3) . . . . . iOS . . . . . . . . 272 M . . . . . . 22% . . . . . . . . . . . . 21%

4 (5) . . . . . Blackberry . . . . 34 M . . . . . . . 3% . . . . . . . . . . . . 6%

5 (4) . . . . . Symbian . . . . . 19 M . . . . . . . 2% . . . . . . . . . . . . 9%

. . . . . . . . . Others . . . . . . 141 M . . . . . . 12%

TOTAL . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,224 M



The overwhelming market dominance of Microsoft in the computer industry has now ended. Andoid (and Google) have become the biggest provider of computer operating systems, ending Microsoft's reign on top that lasted 30 years. 2012 was the first year when more computing devices running Android were sold, and now Apple's iOS ecosystem is chasing Windows and is likely to pass it in 2013. Obviously the powerhouse that was Symbian on pocketable devices has all but vanished.



All data here may be freely shared



NOTE: This table was updated to reflect Huawei official 2012 numbers and resulting changes to the bottom of the Top 10 chart. In an earlier edition of this chart, Huawei was ranked 5th based on its preliminary 2012 smartphone shipments widely reported.





For anyone who wants all the data on the mobile telecoms industry in one handy reference source, see the TomiAhonen Almanac 2013.