STAMFORD, CT -- Worldwide PC shipments in the third quarter fell 0.5% year-over-year to 79.4 million units, according to preliminary results from Gartner. 

"Growth in the mature markets was offset by a decline in shipments in emerging markets, similar to what was seen in the second quarter,” said Mikako Kitagawa, principal analyst at Gartner. “Positive results in Western Europe and North America can be a sign of gradual recovery for the PC industry.

"Consumers’ attention is slowly going back to PC purchases as tablet adoption peaked with mainstream consumers. The transition from PCs to tablets has faded as tablet penetration has reached the 40-50% range.” In contrast, weakness in the emerging market reflects the saturation in selected consumer segments where they can afford PCs. In the meantime, consumers who don’t have PCs will likely buy a low-priced tablet. This is a one of the major reasons for the slow growth in PC shipments in the emerging market.”

For the first time, the sum of the top five vendors' share reached two-thirds of the worldwide PC shipments. All top 5 vendors showed stronger growth compared to the industry average. Scale is one important success criteria for vendors to survive in the PC market. Some vendors have already scaled back or have withdrawn from the PC business — namely, Sony and Samsung — and Toshiba joined them in the quarter.

Lenovo extended its position as the worldwide leader in PC shipments, as it accounted for 19.8% of the market in the third quarter of 2014 (TABLE 1). Lenovo did especially well in EMEA as it achieved more than 40 percent growth over the third quarter last year. It also had year-over-year growth in Asia/Pacific, despite the region showing a decline overall.

Table 1. Preliminary Worldwide PC Vendor Unit Shipment Estimates for 3Q14 (Units)

Note: Data includes desk-based PCs and mobile PCs, including x86 tablets equipped with Windows 8, but excludes Chromebooks and other tablets.

Source: Gartner (October 2014)

While its overall growth rate slightly declined in PC shipments, HP was able to post single-digit growth to maintain the No. 2 position worldwide. HP was the No. 1 vendor in EMEA and the U.S. While HP announced its intention to split the company into two companies, the impact to the PC business operation should not be significant. Dell had another strong quarter, and the results indicate that Dell’s commitment and investment into the PC market has been consistent since it went private.

In the US, PC shipments totaled 16.6 million units in the quarter, up 4.2% from last year. This was the third quarter in a row with positive shipment growth.

"Consumers’ wallets were gradually coming back to PCs, although back-to-school sales season was not exceptional,” Kitagawa said. “More availability of affordable touch-based laptops, price drops of thin and light laptops, and 2-in-1 hybrid laptops will attract consumers this holiday season.”

HP maintained the No. 1 position in the US market accounting for 27.8% of PC shipments in the quarter (TABLE 2). Dell increased its share to 24.1%, followed by Apple with an estimated 14.3% share.

Table 2. Preliminary U.S. PC Vendor Unit Shipment Estimates for 3Q14 (Units)

Note: Data includes desk-based PCs and mobile PCs, including x86 tablets equipped with Windows 8, but excludes Chromebooks and other tablets.

PC shipments in EMEA totaled 24 million units in the third quarter, up 9.6% from the same period last year (TABLE 3). After two years of declining quarterly market share, the EMEA PC market has recorded growth every quarter since the start of 2014.

"The continued growth in the EMEA PC market reflects the end of official support for Windows XP and the need to replace older PCs,” said Ranjit Atwal, research director at Gartner. “Consumer demand has also improved. We’ve witnessed lower notebook prices and promotional offers on two-in-one hybrid devices attracting buyers back. Many tablet early-adopters are considering a hybrid two-in-one product as a viable alternative to a replacement tablet.”

HP retained the No. 1 position overall in EMEA due to better results in the professional PC segment, but the gap is tightening between HP and Lenovo. Lenovo held the No.2 spot with continued strong performance in the consumer PC segment, marking nine consecutive quarters of double-digit growth. In the third quarter, Lenovo recorded a 45% increase in shipments year-on-year.

Table 3. Preliminary EMEA PC Vendor Unit Shipment Estimates for 3Q14 (Units)

Note: Data includes desk-based PCs and mobile PCs, including x86 tablets equipped with Windows 8, but excludes Chromebooks and other tablets. All data is estimated based on a preliminary study. The statistics are based on the shipments selling into channels.

Source: Gartner (October 2014)

In Asia/Pacific, PC shipments surpassed 26.2 million units, a 5.3%decline from 2013. The market remained challenging, especially in China where the PC purchasing appetite has slowed due to more pragmatic consumer and government IT spending. Business desk-based PC demand has been steady, suggesting a continuing replacement cycle due to the end of Windows XP support.

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