Global PC shipments totaled 84.3 million units in the first quarter of 2011, a 1.1% decline compared to the first quarter of 2010, according to a new report by Gartner.
The report highlighted that although the first quarter is traditionally a slow one for PC sales, the shipment results indicate potential sluggishness, not just a normal seasonal slowdown.
However, steady growth in the professional PC sector, driven by the replacement cycle, was a bright spot for the global PC market; and replacement sales is expected to continue into late 2011 or the start of 2012.
HP performed below the worldwide average, but maintained the top position, accounting for 17.6% of worldwide PC shipments in the first quarter of 2011, the report said. HP was impacted by weak consumer PC demand and growing issues in Asia-Pacific.
Acer continued to face challenges as the mini-notebook market was impacted by media tablets, and its shipments declined 12.2%.
In the first quarter of 2011, Dell experienced a shipment decline year-over-year for the first time in six quarters, and underperformed in the US, Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA) and Latin America, but it achieved strong growth in Asia/Pacific.
Lenovo experienced the strongest growth among the top five vendors (16.6%) as it continued to price its products very competitively in both the consumer and professional sectors.
Geographically, in the US, PC shipments totaled 16.1 million units in the first quarter of 2011, a 6.1% decline from the first quarter of 2010.
The PC market in Lain America grew 5.4% in the first quarter of 2011, as shipments totaled 8.1 million units. Brazil accounted for over 40% of Latin America’s PC shipments.
PC shipments in EMEA totaled 26.1 million units in the first quarter of 2011, a 2.8% decline from the first quarter of 2010.
Western Europe remained the main area of weakness in EMEA, as consumers continued to delay spending disposable income on PCs or other products like media tablets, especially after the launch of the iPad 2.
In Asia-Pacific, PC shipments surpassed 28.2 million units in the first quarter of 2011, a 4.1% increase from the first quarter of 2010.
However, PC purchases by consumers remained weak, especially in China and Taiwan. In India, consumers were distracted by the Cricket World Cup. They also preferred to upgrade or purchase new TVs or other home electronics.
PC shipments in Japan declined 13.1% in the first quarter of 2011, with shipments reaching 4 million units. The earthquake and tsunami on March 11 reduced PC shipments, and Gartner analysts are still investigating the scale of the impact on the market in first quarter.
