Apple's iTunes online store moved ahead of Amazon.com and Target to become the No. 3 music retailer in the US in the first quarter, according to the NPD Group, reports the Associated Press (via MarketingCharts).

Wal-Mart led with 15.8 percent of the market, followed by Best Buy with 13.8 percent, iTunes with 9.8 percent, Amazon.com with 6.7 percent and Target with 6.6 percent, according to NPD, which counted every 12 tracks sold online as the equivalent of an album/CD.

Digital music downloads in Q1 accounted for only 13.8 percent of all music purchases; 86.2 percent were sold in physical disc format, according to NPD, writes AppleInsider.

NPD attributed Apple's Q1 gains to iPod sales during the holiday shopping season.

Meanwhile, Apple's share of notebook/portable PCs climbed to 14.3 percent of US notebook sales in May, increasing nearly 2 percentage points from April's 12.5 percent - and up from March's 9.9 percent - according to NPD, reports AppleInsider.

Apple is now fourth in US notebook sales behind HP, Gateway and Toshiba.