According to Gartner, worldwide PC shipments in the first quarter of 2013 declined to the lowest level since the second quarter of 2009. Global PC shipments stood below the 80 million unit mark at the end of the first quarter of 2013.
Further, worldwide PC shipments totaled 79.2 million units in the period under consideration, thereby registering a decline of 11.2 per cent over the first quarter of 2012. All regions registered a decline in the global PC shipments, with the EMEA region experiencing the highest decline.
Mikako Kitagawa, principal analyst, Gartner, says, “In the first quarter of 2013, it was the fourth consecutive quarter that showed a drop in the worldwide PC shipments. Consumers are migrating content consumption from PCs to other connected devices, such as tablets and smartphones. Even emerging markets, where PC penetration is low, are not expected to be a strong growth area for PC vendors.”
Kitagawa, adds, “Unlike the consumer PC segment, the professional PC market, which accounts for about half of overall PC shipments, has witnessed growth, driven by continuing demand for PCs. Despite the fact that some regions already passed the peak for PC demand, overall professional PC demand continued to grow.”
The global PC shipment market was led jointly by HP and Lenovo. HP had a very challenging quarter, as it registered highest decline in PC shipment in the quarter under review since the acquisition of Compaq in 2003. Also, HP’s consumer business negatively affected its overall shipment volume, its professional business faced strong competition from competitors.
Lenovo’s worldwide PC shipments were flat over the last year. Even though Lenovo’s shipment growth rate exceeded the overall industry average, it was the company’s slowest growth since the first quarter of 2009. The slowdown was attributed to decline in shipment in the Asia/Pacific region, where more than 50 per cent of Lenovo’s PCs were shipped.
Dell also had a challenging quarter, registering a decline in shipment in all regions except Japan. Dell’s shipment growth in Japan was driven by moderate demand for PCs from corporates.
According to Gartner, in the US market, PC shipments stood at 14.2 million units in the first quarter of 2013. Kitagawa, says, “Similar to other mature markets, the US will see the installed base of consumer PCs decreasing going forward. This is because many of these systems will not be replaced with PCs, instead they will be displaced by other devices, or simply discarded.”
Apple and Lenovo were the only vendors among the top five in the US to experience PC shipment growth in the first quarter of 2013. HP led the market with 24.2 per cent share, however the company’s shipments declined by 23.3 per cent from the first quarter of 2012. PC shipments in EMEA stood at 23.3 million units in the first quarter of 2013, registering a decline of 16 per cent decline from the corresponding period in 2012. Gartner as attributed the decline in PC shipments to the ongoing economic uncertainties in Southern European countries. Like other regions, consumer interest in these markets as well continues to be on smartphones and tablets.
In Asia/Pacific, PC shipments stood at 27.6 million units in the first quarter of 2013, witnessing a decline of 10.3 per cent decline from the first quarter of 2012. Owing to an uncertain economic environment the buyers in the Asia/Pacific region remained cautious while spending. This affected the PC shipment. In the first quarter of 2013, both China and India experienced year-over-year shipment declines.
