Global PC shipments down 6.9 per cent in fourth quarter of 2013

Global personal computer shipments declined 6.9 per cent, registering the seventh consecutive quarterly fall, to 82.6 million units in the fourth quarter of 2013, according to a Gartner report.

For the year, PC shipments were 315.9 million units, a 10 per cent decline from 2012. This is the worst decline in PC market history, equal to the shipment level in 2009. Lenovo took the lead in the fourth quarter, as it did in the previous quarter, accounting for 18.1 per cent of global PC shipments, Gartner said.

Lenovo showed strong growth in all regions, except Asia/Pacific, where China continued to be a problematic country for the company. HP posted a decline of 7.2 per cent in the fourth quarter. US and Latin America were two regions where HP could not increase its shipments, and it experienced a steeper decline compared with the regional average.

"Although PC shipments continued to decline in the worldwide market in the fourth quarter, we increasingly believe markets, such as the US, have bottomed out as the adjustment to the installed base slows," said Mikako Kitagawa, principal analyst at Gartner. "Strong growth in tablets continued to negatively impact PC growth in emerging markets. In emerging markets, the first connected device for consumers is most likely a smartphone, and their first computing device is a tablet. As a result, the adoption of PCs in emerging markets will be slower as consumers skip PCs for tablets."

Dell continued to maintain the third position and accounted for 11.8 per cent of the market. With the completion of the leveraged buyout, Dell has redefined its strategic focus onto its PC and device businesses. Dell's focus is now beyond its traditional strength in the professional PC market; its focus is now also on consumer PCs, particularly in emerging markets.

Acer and Asus's ranking remained unchanged compared with a year ago. Both companies have more focus on tablets, and their fourth-quarter results clearly proved their strategic focus.

In the US, PC shipments totalled 15.8 million units in the fourth quarter of 2013, a 7.5 per cent decline from the fourth quarter of 2012. Despite a 10.3 per cent decline in shipments, HP continued to be the No 1 vendor in the US, as it accounted for 26.5 per cent of shipments.

"Holiday sales of technology products were strong in the US market, but consumer spending during the holidays did not come back to PCs as tablets were one of the hottest holiday items," said Kitagawa. "We think that the US PC market has bottomed out. A variety of new form factors, such as hybrid notebooks, drew holiday shoppers' attention, but the market size was very small at the time. Lowering the price point of thin and light products started encouraging the PC replacement and potentially some PC growth in 2014."

PC shipments in Europe, the Middle East and Africa totalled 25.8 million units in the fourth quarter of 2013, a 6.7 per cent decline from the same period last year. However, the decline was less steep than in the last seven quarters.

All areas of the region - Western Europe, Eastern Europe and the Middle East and Africa - showed a decline. PC shipments in Asia-Pacific totalled 26.5 million units in the fourth quarter of 2013, a 9.8 per cent decline from the fourth quarter of 2012.

Buyers did not place a priority on PC purchases, preferring to spend on alternative devices such as smartphones. Some continued to delay their purchases of a PC as their requirements, such as entertainment and information access, can be addressed by other devices, such as tablets.