Apple iMacs Account for a Third of All-in-One PC Market

Lost in the shuffle of Ultrabooks, tablet PCs, and everything else that dominated the headlines in 2011 is the all-in-one (AIO) PC market. We've seen several new AIO models emerge over the past 12 months or so, and who knows, maybe in another year or two these things will replace traditional desktop towers in the mainstream market. That would be good news for Apple, whose iMac systems lead the pack in terms of market share.


According to figures provided by DisplaySearch, iMacs accounted for nearly a third -- 32.9 percent if you want to split hairs -- of AIO shipments in the third quarter, Bloomberg reports. Barely visible in Apple's rear-view mirror is Lenovo, which took up the No. 2 spot with a 22.7 percent share while jockeying for position with Hewlett-Packard (21.4 percent).

DisplaySearch says the AIO market grew 39 percent to 14.5 million units around the globe last year, and looking ahead, the market could expand to 23.3 million units by 2014. Whether or not Apple can hold such a big lead over its Windows-based competitors remains to be seen, especially now that AIO models have become so popular.