Global personal computer (PC) shipments totalled 80.3 million units in the third quarter of 2013, an 8.6 per cent decline from the same period last year. This marks the sixth consecutive quarter of declining worldwide shipments, according to a report by Gartner.
“The third quarter is often referred to as the 'back-to-school' quarter for PC sales in North America and Europe, and sales this quarter dropped to their lowest volume since 2008," said Mikako Kitagawa, principal analyst at Gartner.
"Consumers' shift from PCs to tablets for daily content consumption continued to decrease the installed base of PCs, both in the mature as well as in emerging markets. A greater availability of inexpensive Android tablets attracted first-time consumers in emerging markets, and as supplementary devices in mature markets," Kitagawa added.
HP and Lenovo have been virtually neck and neck for the top global position in the PC market. Lenovo took the lead, as it did last quarter, but the upcoming holiday sales season will be a key battlefield for both companies. Lenovo accounted for 17.6 per cent of global PC shipments in the third quarter, and HP had 17.1 per cent of shipments.
Weakness in the Chinese market continued to affect Lenovo's overall growth. However, strong growth in the Americas, as well as Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA), offset declining PC shipments for Lenovo in the Asia-Pacific market. HP recorded positive shipment growth in 3Q13 for the first time since 1Q12. With the exception of Latin America, HP's growth exceeded the average growth across all regions.
Dell's PC shipments exceeded growth rate averages across all regions. Acer's shipments declined 22.6 per cent compared with a year ago, as a reduction in netbook shipments impacted overall PC shipment results.
Acer has heavily sought opportunities in other device markets. Asus saw PC shipments decline 22.5 per cent. Asus has clearly shifted its focus from PCs to tablets. Asus' tablet shipments were nearly equal to its mobile PC shipments in 3Q13.