Chart of the Day: Apple Leads in the USA

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) shares have declined more than 35 percent since hitting an all-time high last September, but a recent report reminds investors how significant the tech giant is to the consumer electronic industry.

According to NPD Group, sales in the U.S. consumer tech industry declined for the second consecutive year in 2012, with sales down 2 percent to almost $143 billion. Among the top five categories, smartphones and tablets were the only products to log year-over-year revenue growth. Smartphones grew 25 percent in 2012, while tablets surged 42 percent.

To little surprise, Apple was a dominate player. The company accounted for 19.9 percent of all domestic consumer tech revenue, up from 17.3 percent in 2011. As the chart above shows, the company easily beat rivals such as Samsung (SSNLF.PK), Hewlett-Packard (NYSE:HPQ), Sony (NYSE:SNE), and Dell (NASDAQ:DELL)…