Has Apple really overtaken Dell?
According to research by Gartner, Apple has overtaken Dell in the UK education market and is now the number one supplier to the EMEA education sector. This is surprising as Apple has not been a major force in UK education for several years.
The report says Apple has 14.7% of the total UK market for PCs and laptops and gave Dell just 14.1%. This must be satisfying for Hervé Marchet, Apple’s EMEA Director of Education. No surprise that David Todman of Dell was, ‘unavailable to comment’. However, we have been covering this market for many years and Gartner’s figures don’t ring true. We aren’t saying they haven’t done a proper job, but all the vendors we spoke to expressed surprise at the numbers, except RM who were chuffed, because Gartner put their market share at 34.9%, ahead of their own estimates!
Apple’s strategy of focusing on teachers and trying to reach them through a network of centres around the UK has been a good idea, along with its Apple Teacher Training Institute that runs twice-yearly seminars around Europe. When we talk to schools and vendors Apple is not yet mentioned in the same breath as RM or Dell. However, the knock-on effect of the success of iPods, Apple’s ease of use and user friendly multimedia software have created a distinct positioning for the brand in the education market. While Gartner’s figures are surprising, what seems indisputable is that Apple in education has come back from the brink of extinction and regained its mantle as one of the serious players in the UK and EU markets.