Worldwide PC shipments (including desktop and portable PCs, but excluding x86 Servers) were down 7.1 percent year over year in the first quarter of 2009 (Q109) — slightly better than a projected decline of 8.2 percent — according to analyst IDC’s Worldwide Quarterly PC Tracker.
According to the company, PC demand has remained resilient compared to the last downturn. Falling prices, fuelled in part by so-called mini notebook PCs and added efforts in channel development, have helped to minimise the market contraction. The US fared well, with shipments falling only 3 percent as HP, Acer and Toshiba experienced good growth in portable sales. Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) and Asia/Pacific (excluding Japan) also came in slightly better than expected.
“Tight credit and economic concerns have certainly taken a toll on PC shipments in the last couple of quarters, but the move to portables, fuelled by mini notebooks and falling prices, has mitigated the impact,” says Loren Loverde, program director for IDC’s Worldwide Quarterly PC Tracker. ”Following a drawdown in inventory throughout the supply chain, we expect more stable production over the next couple quarters, with growth returning around the end of the year.”
“The US PC market proved to be surprisingly resilient this quarter as notebooks were still seen as important purchases by many US consumers,” says Bob O’Donnell, vice president, Clients and Displays research at IDC. “HP’s dethroning of Dell as the US market share leader and extending its worldwide market share lead is a testament to the company’s solid record of business execution over the last several quarters and indicates that Dell still faces some challenges in its efforts to reignite its business.”
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