Although the fourth quarter of 2012 marked the launch of Microsoft Windows 8, it did not impact PC demand. According to the International Data Corporation (IDC), worldwide PC shipments fell 6.4% in the fourth quarter of 2012 compared to the same quarter in 2011. Global PC shipments totaled 89.8 million units, and the decrease was worse than the forecasted decline of 4.4%.
For the entire year of 2012, worldwide PC shipments declined 3.2% compared to 2011. Together, all vendors totaled 352,421,000 unit shipments.
IDC said the results were not entirely surprising “given the spate of challenges the PC market faced over the course of 2012.” The consultant firm had expected the second half of 2012 to be difficult and pointed out that consumers as well as PC vendors and distribution channels continued to be diverted from PC sales in favor of tablets and smartphones.
HP kept its leadership both for the 4Q12 and the entire year. IDC noted HP’s total volume was nearly flat compared to a year ago but better than the overall market. In the 4Q12, the company shipped 15,023,000 units worldwide, and for the entire year of 2012, HP registered 58,129,000 units, ending with a 16.5% market share, a little less than its 17.1% share in 2011.
On the other hand, second-placed Lenovo increased its market share from 12.1% in 2011 to 14.9% in 2012, when the company shipped 52,448,000 units worldwide. According to IDC, Lenovo’s volume reached a new record-high of more than 14 million units in the 4Q12, with continued success in the U.S. and EMEA (Europe, the Middle East and Africa). Despite the positive performance, Lenovo’s gains remained significantly smaller than several quarters ago when the company was besting market growth by nearly 30%, according to IDC.
In third, Dell continued to lose ground as it faced aggressive competition from other leaders and looked for better margins.
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