PC shipments flat in 3Q14
Gartner includes desk top, notebook and mobile PCs in its count, including x86 tablets equipped with Windows 8, but excluding Chromebooks and other tablets.
Interestingly the market has moved on from the global declines of the past couple of years and is now a more nuanced environment with mature markets – now with tablet uptake at close to saturation – turning back to replace older PCs, and emerging markets still taking to tablets and turning away from the PC.
"Growth in the mature markets was offset by a decline in shipments in emerging markets, similar to what was seen in the second quarter of 2014," said Mikako Kitagawa, principal analyst at Gartner, in a statement. However, Kitagawa said that the positive results seen in Western Europe and North America could be seen as a sign of the start of a gradual recovery for the PC industry.
"Consumers’ attention is slowly going back to PC purchases as tablet adoption peaked with mainstream consumers. The transition from PCs to tablets has faded as tablet penetration has reached the 40 to 50 percent range," she said.
Meanwhile in the emerging economies of the world there are many consumers who cannot afford an Intel-based notebook computer, but can afford a tablet computer, which will meet almost all of their needs and aspirations.
Lenovo extended its position as the worldwide leader in PC shipments, as it accounted for 19.8 percent of the market in the third quarter of 2014. Lenovo did especially well in EMEA as it achieved more than 40 percent growth over the third quarter last year. It also had year-over-year growth in Asia/Pacific, despite the region showing a decline overall.
Preliminary Worldwide PC Vendor Unit Shipment Estimates for 3Q14 (Units). Source: Gartner.
In the U.S. market, PC shipments totaled 16.6 million units in the third quarter of 2014, a 4.2 percent increase from the same period last year. This was the third quarter in a row with positive shipment growth. The top three vendors in the US were HP, Dell and Apple in that order.
"Consumers’ wallets were gradually coming back to PCs, although back to school sales season was not exceptional," Kitagawa said. "More availability of affordable touch-based laptops, price drops of thin and light laptops, and 2-in-1 hybrid laptops will attract consumers this holiday season."
PC shipments in Europe, the middle-east and Africa totaled 24 million units in the third quarter of 2014, a 9.6 percent increase from the same period last year. The top three vendors in EMEA were HP, Lenovo and Acer, in that order. The EMEA PC market has recorded growth every quarter since the start of 2014.
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