EMEA PC sales fell in the third quarter by nearly 10% yr/yr, in line with IDC forecasts, the analyst says. PC shipments remained constrained particularly in the home segment, which continued to suffer from weak consumer demand amid an ongoing budget shift to tablets.
Gartner had even higher decline rates: PC shipments in EMEA totaled 22.4 million units in the third quarter of 2013, a 13.7% decline from the same period last year. The EMEA region suffered its sixth consecutive quarter of declining PC shipments. All areas of the region - Western Europe, Eastern Europe and the Middle East and Africa - showed a shipment decline. PC shipments across all of Eastern Europe remained weak due to the ongoing popularity of tablets and some weakening of the Russian Ruble versus the euro and dollar, which led to a PC price increase.
IDC says that from a supply perspective, the quarter was also affected by an unfavourable year-on-year comparison with 3Q12, when shipments were supported by preparation to Windows 8 launch. Lean inventory remained a priority for channel partners across EMEA during 3Q13, inhibiting further sell-in. Portable PC shipments suffered a particularly strong decline, while desktops were less constrained. As forecast, the commercial market was less negative than the consumer market due to pockets of investments remaining available despite constrained spending. Shipments were also supported by seasonal back-to-school projects.
HP finished the quarter in the number two position after Lenovo, with growth improving from recent quarters. HP's shipment trends improved in the US and EMEA.
Worldwide PC shipments totaled 81.6 million units in the third quarter of 2013. In year-on-year terms, the market contracted -7.6%, ahead of a projected decline of -9.5% for the quarter.