PC Shipments Up 21% in Q2 2010, Gartner Says

According to preliminary results published by Gartner, Inc., the global PC shipments went up 20.7 percent during the second quarter of the ongoing year when compared to the same time frame a year ago. According to the research firm, the results were higher than its market outlook. The company said previously that the PC shipments would go up only 19.3 percent on a yearly basis during the second quarter of the year.

“The preliminary second quarter results indicate ongoing improvement of the PC market, and it marks the third consecutive quarter of double-digit growth on a year-over-year basis,” said Mikako Kitagawa, principal analyst at Gartner. “End-user spending grew approximately 13 percent in the second quarter. Average selling prices (ASPs) continue to decline, but at a much slower rate compared with the last two years.”

The market leader remained HP, yet the company registered a growth rate below the average. HP did not aggressively priced its products in the Asia/Pacific, and registered slow performance in other markets too, including Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA). For comparison, Acer increased its market share considerably due to strong sales in these markets. Moreover, Dell enjoyed double digit growth for the second quarter in a row.

PC shipments went up 16 percent in the United States market, reaching 17.9 million units during the second quarter of the year. The PC refresh cycle helped the professional PC market grow, Gartner notes, adding that healthy seasonal demand from the public sector also helped the market segment go up. HP was the market leader in the US, with Dell on the second position, helped by sales in the professional market. Apple enjoyed strong Mac shipments.

“The consumer PC market registered double-digit shipment growth, but consumer mobile shipment growth slowed. This was due in part to slower growth of mini-notebooks,” Ms. Kitagawa said. “Surging popularity of Apple's iPad temporarily cannibalized mini-notebooks, as well as consumer notebook sales to some degree. It is not certain at this stage if the cannibalization will continue with the current price point of media tablets.” More info on the Gartner report “Market Share Alert: Preliminary PC Market Results, Worldwide, 2Q10” can be found on the research firm's website.