PC shipments in Western Europe totalled 15,3-million units in the fourth quarter of 2012, a decline of 11,7% when compared with the same period in 2011, according to Gartner. In 2012, PC shipments reached 58-million units, a decrease of 8,4% from 2011.
In the fourth quarter of 2012, all PC segments in Western Europe declined. Mobile and desktop PC shipments declined 12,1% and 10,9% in the fourth quarter of 2012, respectively. The decrease in the professional PC market was less severe due to replacement purchases and fell 4,9%, while the consumer PC market declined 17,6% year-on-year.
“The PC market in Western Europe is in a downward spiral,” says Meike Escherich, principal research analyst at Gartner.
“In 2012, it experienced the second consecutive year of decline, but less steeply than in 2011, when the PC market in Western Europe decreased 14%. The second consecutive yearly decline indicates that the issues the PC market faces are beyond a weak economy, a poorly understood new operating system, or ultramobiles being priced too high to generate demand.”
HP lost share in the mobile and home PC segments in Western Europe, but remained the market leader in the desktop and professional PC markets with nearly 10% market share ahead of its nearest rival. HP’s new leadership has undertaken a number of initiatives to reignite its business. In the fourth quarter of 2012, Acer, Lenovo and Asus reached 11% market share.
Acer, which held the number two spot in the overall PC sales market in Western Europe, dropped to third place behind Asus in the home PC segment, with shipments declining 25% from the fourth quarter of 2011.
Lenovo’s strong focus to increase market share helped it become the number two PC vendor in the professional PC market with a 4% increase in the fourth quarter of 2012. Lenovo also grew 65% in the consumer PC market in the fourth quarter of 2012.
Asus saw its Western Europe PC shipments decline in the fourth quarter of 2012, indicating that its pricing had moved upwards to higher price points because of the midrange-to-high-end Windows 8 system.
Dell dropped to fifth place, with shipments in the consumer PC market nearly halved from the fourth quarter of 2011. Dell also felt the pressure from HP and Lenovo in the professional PC segment, where both vendors focused on gaining share over increasing their profit protection.
“In the future, we expect buyers will not replace secondary or tertiary PCs in their households by allowing them to become obsolete, preferring instead to purchase tablets. We should see an increase in PC margins as users favour PCs with richer applications,” says Escherich.
In the fourth quarter of 2012, all PC segments in Western Europe declined. Mobile and desktop PC shipments declined 12,1% and 10,9% in the fourth quarter of 2012, respectively. The decrease in the professional PC market was less severe due to replacement purchases and fell 4,9%, while the consumer PC market declined 17,6% year-on-year.
“The PC market in Western Europe is in a downward spiral,” says Meike Escherich, principal research analyst at Gartner.
“In 2012, it experienced the second consecutive year of decline, but less steeply than in 2011, when the PC market in Western Europe decreased 14%. The second consecutive yearly decline indicates that the issues the PC market faces are beyond a weak economy, a poorly understood new operating system, or ultramobiles being priced too high to generate demand.”
HP lost share in the mobile and home PC segments in Western Europe, but remained the market leader in the desktop and professional PC markets with nearly 10% market share ahead of its nearest rival. HP’s new leadership has undertaken a number of initiatives to reignite its business. In the fourth quarter of 2012, Acer, Lenovo and Asus reached 11% market share.
Acer, which held the number two spot in the overall PC sales market in Western Europe, dropped to third place behind Asus in the home PC segment, with shipments declining 25% from the fourth quarter of 2011.
Lenovo’s strong focus to increase market share helped it become the number two PC vendor in the professional PC market with a 4% increase in the fourth quarter of 2012. Lenovo also grew 65% in the consumer PC market in the fourth quarter of 2012.
Asus saw its Western Europe PC shipments decline in the fourth quarter of 2012, indicating that its pricing had moved upwards to higher price points because of the midrange-to-high-end Windows 8 system.
Dell dropped to fifth place, with shipments in the consumer PC market nearly halved from the fourth quarter of 2011. Dell also felt the pressure from HP and Lenovo in the professional PC segment, where both vendors focused on gaining share over increasing their profit protection.
“In the future, we expect buyers will not replace secondary or tertiary PCs in their households by allowing them to become obsolete, preferring instead to purchase tablets. We should see an increase in PC margins as users favour PCs with richer applications,” says Escherich.