Worldwide PC shipments — desktop and notebook — dropped to 76 million units in the second quarter of 2013, a 10.9 percent decrease from the same period last year, according to preliminary results by market analysts Gartner. This marks the fifth consecutive quarter of declining shipments, which is the longest duration of decline in the PC market’s history. The fall in the Asia/Pacific PC market continued, showing five consecutive quarters of the shipment decline, while the Europe, Middle East, and Africa (EMEA) PC market registered two consecutive quarters of double-digit decline.
“We are seeing the PC market reduction directly tied to the shrinking installed base of PCs, as inexpensive tablets displace the low-end machines used primarily for consumption in mature and developed markets,” said Mikako Kitagawa, principal analyst at Gartner. “In emerging markets, inexpensive tablets have become the first computing device for many people, who at best are deferring the purchase of a PC. This is also accounting for the collapse of the mini notebook market.”
Dell’s shipments declined compared to a year ago, but its 2Q13 results showed a smaller decline than the past several quarters. Dell showed good growth in the US and Japan, but struggled to increase shipments in Asia/Pacific and EMEA. Both Acer and Asus showed steep declines compared to the second quarter last year. The decline was partly affected by their strategies to exit the mini-notebook market.
Where Apple has traditionally held ground, or even gained marketshare in previous quarters, the last quarter has seen a 4.3 percent decrease in Apple’s growth in the US, but a 0.4 percentage point increase in marketshare, given the Cupertino company’s less than market average drop. Dell and Lenovo posted gains, with HP, and Toshiba declining.
