Compaq Top Seller of Portable PCs : Computers: Sales of $2.04 billion and 13.6% world market share put Houston-based giant ahead of previous leader Apple.

Compaq Computer Corp. overthrew PowerBook maker Apple Computer Inc. as the leading seller of portable PCs in 1993, a leading research firm said Wednesday.

The Houston-based computer maker’s annual sales reached $2.04 billion last year, up from $1.19 billion in 1992, Dataquest Inc. said.

The firm said Compaq owes its rise to a strong marketing effort, focused on global distribution and competitive pricing, rather than technological innovation.

Dataquest based its figures on worldwide market share estimates. The figures encompass all portable personal computers. The category includes laptops, notebooks such as Apple’s PowerBook, sub-notebooks, hand-helds and expandable organizers, the San Jose-based research firm said.

Compaq’s market share swelled to 13.6% last year from 11% in 1992. Apple sank to the No. 3 position, with $1.53 billion in revenue, or 10.2% of world market share, from its top rank in 1992.

Toshiba Corp. ranks No. 2 behind Compaq, with $1.7 billion in revenue, or 11.4% of the global market.

Late last month, Compaq stunned Wall Street with record profit and sales in its first quarter.

The company said its goal is to become the world’s largest personal computer maker in 1996. It currently ranks behind Apple and International Business Machines Corp.

In the field of laptops, or mobile computers, Apple was trailed by Japan’s NEC Corp. and IBM.

The top five leading laptop makers together accounted for 53.6% of world laptop computer revenue in 1993, a figure reflecting wider consolidation in the PC industry, Dataquest said.

Total worldwide revenue for the mobile computer industry stood at $14.99 billion, up sharply from $10.86 billion in 1992, it said.