Worldwide PC shipments declined 1.4% during the forth quarter compared to the same period 2010, totalling 92.2 million units, according to a report from Gartner. The drop followed two quarters of positive growth. For the year, worldwide PC shipments totaled 352.8 million units, a .5% increase from 2010. Gartner attributed this stagnation to a weak consumer PC market, particularly in mature markets. Emerging markets grew steadily, driven by low initial PC penetration.
Breaking out Q4 sales by regions, PC shipments increased 11.2% year-over-year in Latin America; 8.5% in Asia/Pacific; declined 9.6% in EMEA markets; increased 5.9% in the United States; and grew 2.3% in Japan.
During the forth quarter, Hewlett-Packard remained the largest PC make with 16% market share, despite a 16.2% drop in sales. No. 2 Lenovo experienced the strongest growth among the top five vendors as its PC shipments grew 23% in the period. Lenovo had 14% of the market at the end of 2011, followed by Dell (12.6%), Acer (10.7%) and Asus (6.8%).
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Gartner noted that Lenovo’s growth was attributed to its aggressive pricing in both the professional and consumer markets, while Dell enjoyed stable growth in the professional sector, driven by upgrades to Windows 7. Asia/Pacific continued to be the major growth market for Dell, as it achieved 30% growth in the region.
The overall market decline reflected continuing low consumer PC demand resulting in weak holiday PC shipments. Gartner also noted that while economic uncertainty in Western Europe had an effect on consumer PC shipments, expectations of a healthier economic outlook in North America could not stimulate consumer PC demand in that region. The healthy professional PC market as well as growth in emerging markets could not compensate for the weaknesses in mature markets, with overall growth still negative.
Hard-disk drive shortages triggered by the October 2011 floods in Thailand had a limited impact on fourth-quarter PC shipments and prices. However, Gartner said a major impact will be felt and this is expected to materialize in the first half of 2012, potentially continuing throughout 2012. These shortages will temporarily lower PC shipment growth during the year.
Related to ultrabooks, Gartner said that they were quietly introduced into the market during the recent holiday season, but didn’t seem to draw consumers’ attention, which still had very little understanding and awareness of the new segment.
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