Global PC shipment slips 11% in Q2 2013 to 76 mn units: Gartner

MUMBAI: Worldwide PC shipments dropped for the fifth consecutive quarter to total 76 million units during April-June 2013, marking the longest duration of decline in the PC market's history, research firm Gartner said on Thursday.

PC shipments declined by 10.9 per cent to 76 million units in second quarter of 2013 from 85.32 million units in the same period last year, preliminary data by Gartner said.

All regions showed a decline compared to year ago with Asia-Pacific market showing five consecutive quarters of the shipment decline. The Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) market registered two consecutive quarters of double-digit decline, it added.

"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," Gartner principal analyst Mikako Kitagawa said.

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," Kitagawa said.

HP and Lenovo's neck-and-neck competition continued. This time, Lenovo was back in the top position with a 16.7 per cent market share (12.67 million units) followed by HP with 16.3 per cent share (12.4 million units).

Lenovo showed mixed regional results, as it experienced strong growth in the Americas and EMEA, while showing a major decline in Asia-Pacific, Gartner said.

Weakness in China was most likely the contributor of Lenovo's shipment decline in the region as the majority of its volume came from the country, it added.

HP was the market leader in key regions, including the US, 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 its performance in the region, Gartner said.