PC shipments worldwide amounted to 68.5 million units in the third quarter of 2007, 14.4% more than over the corresponding period of 2006.
So said analyst firm Gartner, who added that PC shipments in Asia/Pacific and EMEA increased 23.4% and 16.4%, respectively, while PC shipments in the US grew 4.7%.
"The consumer PC market continues to drive worldwide PC market growth," comments Mikako Kitagawa, principal analyst for Gartner`s Client Computing Markets group. "Back-to-school sales were a major growth factor in mature regions, although US sales were softer than expected. The popularity of mobile PCs in the home market continues to propel growth."
Hewlett-Packard kept its top spot in the worldwide PC market, enjoying five consecutive quarters in the top position, he said.
HP`s growth in the global market was far higher than the worldwide average, he added. "Gartner`s preliminary results show that Hewlett-Packard`s growth rate exceeded regional growth averages across all regions."
Kitagawa said Dell realised its first worldwide shipment increase in four quarters, although its growth rate was below the worldwide average. Its EMEA and Asia/Pacific results were good, but it battled in the US.
He said Acer`s shipments enjoyed a 58% growth, and due to its acquisition of Gateway, Acer should overtake Lenovo in the next quarter. "Lenovo experienced another quarter of exceeding the worldwide growth average. Asia/Pacific was the major driver of Lenovo`s overall growth. But Lenovo also performed well in the US market and grew around the market average in the EMEA region."
In the US, mobile PC growth continued to lead the overall growth, and for the first time, mobile PC unit volume exceeded desk-based PC unit volume in the third quarter of 2007, Kitagawa said. "However," he added, "both the home and professional markets registered weaker-than-expected growth."
"PC shipments in EMEA grew above expectations," said Ranjit Atwal, principal analyst for Gartner`s Client Computing Markets Group in EMEA. He says the current economic uncertainty has not stopped consumers and companies from buying PCs, reflecting the PC`s change in status from a luxury purchase to a necessity.
Atwal said Gartner expects the PC market in EMEA to continue to exhibit double digit growth in the fourth quarter of 2007.
PC shipments in Asia/Pacific totalled 18.7 million units, a 23.4% increase from a year ago, according to Gartner. Strong sales occurred in China and India. Taiwan and South Korea also experienced higher than expected PC shipment levels because of increased demand from the government and education segments, and a continued strong uptake from the consumer market.
"Latin America saw PC shipments reach 5.9 million units, a 23.9% increase from the third quarter of 2006. Mobile PC adoption continued to exceed expectations as vendors, including local brands, reported higher sales of these systems. The consumer mobile PC segment is expected to record 90% growth for the quarter," Atwal said.
In Japan, PC shipments in the third quarter totalled 3.4 million units, a 1.5% drop from the corresponding period last year. The professional market declined 3%, while the home market showed an increase of 1%, he concluded.
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