After Two Years of Decline, Worldwide PC Shipments Experienced Flat Growth in Second Quarter of 2014, According to Gartner

After eight quarters of declining shipments, worldwide PC shipments experienced flat growth in the second quarter of 2014, according to preliminary results by Gartner, Inc. Worldwide PC shipments totaled 75.8 million units in the second quarter of 2014, a 0.1 percent increase from the second quarter of 2013.

“While the worldwide PC market stopped two years of declining shipments in the second quarter, there were mixed results, as stabilization in developed markets was offset by a decline in emerging markets,” said Mikako Kitagawa, principal analyst at Gartner. “The PC industry in emerging markets has been impacted by the allure of low-cost tablets. These low-cost tablets continue to take spending from new PC units, meaning that it will take more time for PC sales to stabilize in emerging markets.

“The PC market's installed based has been declining as buyers switched to tablets and smartphones for entertainment and social media consumption. The 2Q14 results suggest that the consumer installed base restructuring peaked during 2013. We are seeing a slowdown in premium tablet sales, which have already penetrated a large number of households. PCs are now growing off a smaller installed base of newer devices, with more engaged users. Therefore, we expect to see slow, but consistent, PC growth. While the end of support for Windows XP drove some of the sales in developed markets, it is the underlying business replacement cycle that will stabilize the market.”

Lenovo extended its lead as the leader in worldwide PC shipments, as its worldwide market share increased to 19.2 percent (see Table 1). Lenovo’s PC shipments grew by double-digits in all regions except Asia/Pacific. Lenovo’s shipment growth in Asia/Pacific was still faster than the regional average.

Table 1
Preliminary Worldwide PC Vendor Unit Shipment Estimates for 2Q14 (Units)

Note: Data includes desk-based PCs and Notebook PCs and Ultramobile Premium. Ultramobile Premium includes x86 tablets equipped with Windows 8, but excludes Chromebooks and other tablets.
Source: Gartner (July 2014)

HP achieved its fastest global PC shipment increase in the last four years (since 2Q10). The company has put a lot of effort into restoring its PC business, including the review of the product family and stock keeping units (SKUs), as well as revitalizing the channel partner program. HP did very well in EMEA with 21 percent shipment growth, securing the top spot in the region.

The second quarter of 2014 was the second consecutive quarter of double-digital growth for Dell’s global PC shipments. Dell benefited from strong business PC demand. The company also did particularly well in Asia/Pacific. Dell’s shipments grew in all regions, except Latin America, but Dell’s shipment decline was less than the regional average.

In the U.S. market, PC shipments totaled 15.9 million units in the second quarter of 2014, a 7.4 percent increase from the second quarter of last year. This was the second consecutive quarter of year-on-year shipment growth. Both desktop and notebook PCs exhibited an increase in shipments.

“The consumer PC market also started picking up in the U.S. The availability of affordable, thin and light notebooks have drawn consumers’ attention,” Ms. Kitagawa said. “Touch enable devices are also widely available with decreasing price premiums compared to a year ago. The price premium is low enough for mainstream consumers to spend the extra money for the additional functionalities, such as touch.”

Four of the top five vendors in the U.S. market experienced double-digit growth (see Table 2). HP was the market leader, accounting for 27.7 percent of PC shipments.

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

Note: Data includes desk-based PCs and Notebook PCs and Ultramobile Premium. Ultramobile Premium includes x86 tablets equipped with Windows 8, but excludes Chromebooks and other tablets.
Source: Gartner (July 2014)

The EMEA PC market reached 22.5 million units in the second quarter of 2014, an 8.6 percent increase from the same period last year. Sales were driven by a PC refresh in the professional market from Windows XP, but also from a general uptick in professional spending, mainly in Western European countries, as the economic environment becomes more favorable. The expectation is that the current XP refresh is from large enterprises, but many small and midsize businesses (SMBs) will continue with an XP refresh through the second half of 2014, boosting the overall market.

In Asia/Pacific, PC shipments totaled 24.6 million units in the second quarter of 2014, a 9.5 percent decrease from the second quarter of 2013. Despite the decline in shipments, there are some signs of stabilization, with minimal declines and flat growth in mature Asia/Pacific countries and Chine. However, the low end of the notebook PC market continues to be challenged by the popularity of phablets and voice connected tablets, especially in smaller cities where some lower income groups prefer a larger screen phone as their only device for communication and access to the Internet.

These results are preliminary. Final statistics will be available soon to clients of Gartner's PC Quarterly Statistics Worldwide by Region program. This program offers a comprehensive and timely picture of the worldwide PC market, allowing product planning, distribution, marketing and sales organizations to keep abreast of key issues and their future implications around the globe. Additional research can be found on Gartner's Computing Hardware section on Gartner's website at http://www.gartner.com/it/products/research/asset_129157_2395.jsp.

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