Archive for April 16th, 2009

Worldwide PC shipments totaled 67.2 million units in the first quarter of 2009, a 6.5% decline versus first-quarter 2008, according to preliminary results from Gartner.

“We are seeing some evidence of channel inventory restocking, particularly in the US,” said George Shiffler, research director at Gartner. “This restocking should not be interpreted as a recovery in PC end-user demand; it’s still unclear if the global PC market has hit the bottom.”

Hewlett-Packard (HP) extended its lead in the worldwide PC market, accounting for 19.8% of global shipments in first quarter 2009. HP registered higher growth rates than the regional averages in the US, Asia-Pacific, and Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA). HP’s strength derived from its solid consumer PC portfolio, including low-priced mobile PCs, Gartner said.

Dell and Acer finished the quarter in a virtual tie for the number-two position in the worldwide PC market; they are separated by just 0.1 percentage points. Dell was generally weighted down by its heavy reliance on the professional market, while Acer experienced a significant shipment increase fueled by low-priced mobile PCs in EMEA and the US.

“Low priced mobile PCs continued to be the growth driver for the PC industry in most regions,” said Mikako Kitagawa, principal analyst at Gartner. “However, we anticipate a sharp decline in industry revenues due to the lower average selling prices (ASPs) of these devices.”

PC shipments in the US totaled 15.3 million units in the first quarter of 2009, a 0.3% decline versus first-quarter 2008. Shipments were stronger than expected thanks to strong growth in low-priced mobile PCs.

“Low-priced mobile PCs led market growth in the US. Mini notebooks did well in the challenging economic environment where consumers’ number-one priority was to save money,” said Kitagawa. “Mini notebooks continued to put pressure on low priced mobile PCs. This pressure was mainly felt in the consumer market, but it expanded into select professional markets as well, including the education segment. US mobile PC average selling price likely will decline as much as 20% year-over-year in first quarter 2009. Overall, end-user spending on PCs is likely to have contracted in the upper teens in first quarter 2009 compared to a year ago.”

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