What may get lost is that Apple sold 33% the number of computers that Dell did in the same time frame. As Dell is a big corporate supplier, it is possible that Apple sold as many (or almost as many) personal machines as Dell, and more than any other manufacturer. Another interesting insight is that corporations install the same software they've already purchased and will continue to do so during a recession, while personal users are able to buy and install software as they see fit--especially those first-time users who are trying to find replacements for their favorite windows software. So, buyers choose Macs when they have a choice, but choose Dell and HP machines for their companies to run all of their existing software.