Whitman Says Apple Could Overtake HP as World's Top PC Maker in 2012

Apple could overtake Hewlett-Packard next year as the world's top personal-computer maker, new HP CEO Meg Whitman said in an interview with a French daily to appear on Wednesday.

If one includes tablet computers, then Apple could overtake HP in 2012, the French-language Figaro daily quotes Whitman as saying.

Whitman told the newspaper that Palo Alto, Calif.-based HP will try to regain the top spot in 2013 and that it will release a new tablet using Microsoft's Windows 8, adding that HP wants to concentrate on the important tablet market.

Citing disappointing sales, HP on Aug. 18 said it is discontinuing its TouchPad tablet -- just seven weeks after it hit the market -- and abandoning the webOS operating system acquired from Palm that powered the device.

Whitman took the helm of HP in September.

Copyright Agence France-Presse, 2011