World's biggest computer makers if we...

World's biggest computer makers if we include smartphones? Nokia, HP, Apple..

from Communities Dominate Brands by Tomi T Ahonen

A little over a year ago I wrote my blog here where we did probably the world's first calculation of total computer shipment numbers on the assumption that a smartphone could be counted as a computer. Not surprisingly many crucified us here for blasphemy, that a smartphone could not be counted as a proper computer.

How quickly times change in the mobile industry haha. Since then of the world's 5 largest pure PC makers, Dell, Lenovo and Acer have announced their own smartphones. Toshiba was already a smartphone maker. And today HP has bought Palm with the last of the top 5 largest PC makers now also being smartphone makers. And its not just there, Apple the company previously known as Apple Computer, is a major smartphone maker. Microsoft which previously made smartphone operating systems now also makes smartphones. Google the world's biggest internet company is now also a smartphone maker. And Intel the inside guys, doesn't manufacture smartphones but collaborates with Nokia on the future MeeGo smartphone operating system. I think its fair to say, that the PC industry is very willing now to accept that a smartphone is indeed a pocket computer. But if one of our readers still feels this does not smell right, please read this blog - why a smartphone is a real computer.

So, last time my blog was a bit provocative, I did expect some push-back but I was also quite willing to argue that smartphones were real computers. Not that all mobile phones are computers in the proper sense - but a smartphone is indeed 'user programmable' ie we can install apps on one, just like we can on our laptop PC. Why not count an iPhone as a computer or a Google Nexus One or a Nokia N900? So since we started this tomfoolery, lets do an update for end of 2009 market shares of 'all computers' including desktop PCs, notebook PCs, netbook PCs, smartphones, and the PDA form factor exhibited by the Apple iPod Touch. (obviously the iPad had not launched by the end of 2009, but we'll count it for 2010 unit sales when I will report those next year haha)

TOP 8 LARGEST COMPUTER MAKERS BY UNIT SALES VOLUME FULL YEAR 2009

1. (1.)  Nokia  . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67.8 million . . . . . 14.0% . . . (13.8%)
2. (2.)  Hewlett-Packard . . . . .  60.2 million . . . . . 12.4% . . . (11.9%)
3. (4.)  Apple . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51.2 million . . . . . 10.6% . . .  ( 7.5%)
4. (5.)  Acer . . . . . . . . . . . . . .39.6 million . . . . . .  8.2% . . . ( 6.6%)
5. (3.)  Dell . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .38.5 million . . . . . .  7.9% . . . ( 9.4%)
6. (7.)  RIM . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  35.6 million . . . . . . .7.1% . . . ( 4.2%)
7. (8.)  Toshiba . . . . . . . . . . . . 28.4 million . . . . . . .5.9% . . . ( 2.8%) 
8. (6.)  Lenovo . . . . . . . . . . . . .25.1 million . . . . . .  5.2% . . . ( 4.7%)
All other makers . . . . . . . . . . 139.0 million . . . . . . 28.7% . . .(39.1%)

TOTAL computers . . . . . . . . . 465.5 million