Gartner Says Worldwide PC Shipments in the Second Quarter of 2013 Declined 10.9 Percent

PC Industry Continues to Shrink as the Installed Base Restructures to Accommodate Tablets as the Primary Consumption Device

STAMFORD, Conn.--()--Worldwide PC shipments 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 Gartner, Inc. This marks the fifth consecutive quarter of declining shipments, which is the longest duration of decline in the PC market’s history.

All regions showed a decline compared to a year ago. The fall in the Asia/Pacific PC market continued, showing five consecutive quarters of the shipment decline, while the 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.”

HP and Lenovo's neck-and-neck competition continued. This time, Lenovo was back in the top position by only a small difference in share (see Table 1). Lenovo showed mixed regional results, as it experienced strong growth in the Americas and EMEA, while showing a major decline in Asia/Pacific. Weakness in China was most likely the contributor of Lenovo’s shipment decline in the region as the majority of Lenovo’s volume came from China.

While HP was slightly behind Lenovo, HP is a market leader in key regions including the U.S., EMEA and Latin America. Asia/Pacific has been a weakness the last three years for HP, but preliminary second quarter results suggest an improvement of their performance in the region.

Table 1
Preliminary Worldwide PC Vendor Unit Shipment Estimates for 2Q13 (Units)
             

2Q13

              2Q13 Market               2Q12               2Q12 Market               2Q12-2Q13
Company              

Shipments

              Share (%)               Shipments               Share (%)               Growth (%)
Lenovo 12,677,265 16.7 12,755,068 14.9 -0.6
HP 12,402,887 16.3 13,028,822 15.3 -4.8
Dell 8,984,634 11.8 9,349,171 11.0 -3.9
Acer Group 6,305,000 8.3 9,743,663 11.4 -35.3
ASUS 4,590,071 6.0 5,772,043 6.8 -20.5
Others 31,041,130 40.8 34,675,824 40.6 -10.5
Total               76,000,986               100.0               85,324,591               100.0               -10.9

Note: Data includes desk-based PCs and mobile PCs, including mini-notebooks but not media tablets such as the iPad.
Source: Gartner (July 2013)

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 U.S. 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.

“While Windows 8 has been blamed by some as the reason for the PC market’s decline, we believe this is unfounded as it does not explain the sustained decline in PC shipments, nor does it explain Apple’s market performance,” Ms. Kitagawa said.

In the U.S. market, PC shipments totaled 15 million units in the second quarter of 2013, a 1.4 percent decline from the second quarter of 2012 (see Table 2). This decline was less than the past seven quarters, and the market grew 8.5 percent sequentially.

“Our preliminary results indicate that this reduced market decline was attributed to solid growth in the professional market,” Ms. Kitagawa said. “Three of the major professional PC suppliers, HP, Dell and Lenovo, all registered better than U.S. average growth rate. The end of Windows XP support potentially drove the remaining PC refresh in the U.S. professional market.”

Table 2
Preliminary U.S. PC Vendor Unit Shipment Estimates for 2Q13 (Units)
             

2Q13

              2Q13 Market               2Q12               2Q12 Market              

2Q12-2Q13

Company              

Shipments

              Share (%)               Shipments               Share (%)               Growth (%)
HP 3,957,761 26.4 3,976,041 26.2 -0.5
Dell 3,681,725 24.6 3,458,736 22.8 6.4
Apple 1,740,500 11.6 1,818,959 12.0 -4.3
Lenovo 1,515,562 10.1 1,266,109 8.3 19.7
Toshiba 848,984 5.7 1,006,900 6.6 -15.7
Others 3,230,717 21.6 3,659,220 24.1 -11.7
Total               14,975,249               100.0               15,185,965               100.0               -1.4

Note: Data includes desk-based PCs and mobile PCs, including mini-notebooks but not media tablets such as the iPad.
Source: Gartner (July 2013)

PC shipments in EMEA totaled 21.3 million units in the second quarter of 2013, a 16.8 percent decline from the same period last year. The challenging economic environment continues to mute general spending in the consumer markets. Shipments in Eastern Europe also remained low as consumers are looking mainly for Android-based tablets. The second quarter is also typically a quiet quarter for business buyers in the region.

In Asia/Pacific, PC shipments surpassed 26.8 million units in the second quarter of 2013, an 11.5 percent decline from the first quarter of 2012. All country markets across the region showed weakness, but India performed slightly better due to a state PC tender fulfillment. China’s PC shipment remained weak as the consumer market was hampered with lack of new demand generation programs, such as subsidized PC program in the rural cities.

These results are preliminary. Final statistics will be available soon to clients of Gartner's PC Quarterly Statistics Worldwide by Region program. This program offers a comprehensive and timely picture of the worldwide PC market, allowing product planning, distribution, marketing and sales organizations to keep abreast of key issues and their future implications around the globe. Additional research can be found on Gartner's Computing Hardware section on Gartner's website at http://www.gartner.com/it/products/research/asset_129157_2395.jsp.

About Gartner

Gartner, Inc. (NYSE: IT) is the world's leading information technology research and advisory company. Gartner delivers the technology-related insight necessary for its clients to make the right decisions, every day. From CIOs and senior IT leaders in corporations and government agencies, to business leaders in high-tech and telecom enterprises and professional services firms, to technology investors, Gartner is a valuable partner in over 13,000 distinct organizations. Through the resources of Gartner Research, Gartner Executive Programs, Gartner Consulting and Gartner Events, Gartner works with every client to research, analyze and interpret the business of IT within the context of their individual role. Founded in 1979, Gartner is headquartered in Stamford, Connecticut, USA, and has 5,500 associates, including 1,400 research analysts and consultants, and clients in 85 countries. For more information, visit www.gartner.com.

Contacts

Gartner
Janessa Rivera, + 1 408-709-8220
janessa.rivera@gartner.com

Contacts

Gartner
Janessa Rivera, + 1 408-709-8220
janessa.rivera@gartner.com