Some recent data from Dataquest confirms what many people have believed all along - that the PowerBook Duo is the best selling subnotebook computer in the U.S. and Europe. The definition of a subnotebook is a matter of some argument; some people consider it a computer under 4.4 pounds (which eliminates the Duo at 4.7 pounds), but others consider any portable without a floppy to be a subnotebook. That's the criteria Apple appears to use, and since the weight of the 68040 Duos won't change from the existing Duos, it will have to do.

Based on Dataquest's analysis of subnotebook market shares through the first three quarters of 1993 (the most current data available), the PowerBook Duo held a 38 percent market share in the U.S. and a 29 percent market share in Europe against other subnotebooks. Since Apple's shipments doubled in the fourth quarter with the introduction of the PowerBook Duo 250 and 270c, it's likely that the company not only maintained but improved its market share for all of 1993.

Dataquest does not break down Pacific area subnotebook sales by vendor, but it's likely that the Duo lead holds on a worldwide basis. This data is important not only as an acknowledgment of Apple's current strength, but also when taken in context of the market projections for subnotebooks over the next few years. Dataquest projects the notebook market as a whole to grow at an average annual rate of 21 percent from 1993 to 1996, but during this same period the subnotebook market will explode at an average annual rate of 94 percent.

-- Information from:
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