Tech
iMac sales defy gravity
Sales of Apple computers are trucking along, and market share is back to the same level as when the iMac first debuted, according to a study by ZD Market Intelligence.
The study shows Apple sales in January accounted for 6.6 percent of the retail computer market in the US. When Apple first released the machine last August, Mac loyalists quickly snatched them up, many stores sold out, and Apple gained a similar 6.6 percent share of the market. The following month, market share dropped to 4.4 percent, causing some analysts to worry that the iMac would only lead to a one-time spike. But then the share began to climb steadily, reaching January's high.
ZD Market Intelligence analyst Aaron Goldberg attributed the rebound to the announcement of Intel's Pentium III chip, which may have caused a slowdown in the "Wintel" market, and the timing of Apple's G3 advertising campaign.