So once again reading between the lines, Apple have "grown" less than the market in general, so you can summise that they actually lost market share? Serves them right for those damned adverts with Mitchell and Webb........well, and being massively overpriced for a not particularly great end product.

Both the Gartner and IDC figures quoted for all vendors are estimates. It's only when the companies start filing their quarterly accounts that the true figures are known.

With regards to Apple (quoted for Andy Worth) IDC have put them at US 6.3% share whilst Gartner have them at 8.2%, with no percentages given for worldwide share from either. However, until the company releases their actual sales figures next week it's all just pulling figures out of different arseholes.

A quick look at the actual report, and the actual figures for apple are that they grew 15.9% in the US only (no worldwide figures are shown). The average for vendors in the US is 5.2%, so "up a bit less than the market as a whole at 15.9 per cent" is outright wrong as Apple grew 3x faster than the market.

Perhaps a calculator for that journo in santa's sack?

1.159 / 1.052 = 3 ?

Hmm....

log(1.159) / log(1.052) = 2.91080093125082

I'd call that about 3.

Great comment, until your last sentence.

The latest XPSTM M1330 from Dell is £1231, ok it's got 2GB RAM, and Windows Vista Ultimate, but it only has a 13" screen with a lower res and includes a lower spec. graphics adapter than the bottom of the range MacBook Pro.

The MacBook Pro costs only a little more (rather than being "massively overpriced") and, oh, it doesn't come with Vista. Since the shift to Intel, I (personally) do not know any Apple laptop owners that wouldn't buy Apple again.

For the record, I use a PC at work and one at home - although I'll be switching back to Mac as soon as I can.

Rate of growth, not size. So it should be 0.159/0.052 = a bit over 3.

is DSG complaining about sales being down?