Worldwide PC shipments totalled 66.1 million units in the second quarter of 2015 (2Q15), representing a year-on-year decline of -11.8 per cent, about one per cent below projections for the quarter.
According to the International Data Corporation (IDC) Worldwide Quarterly PC Tracker, the slow PC shipments were largely anticipated as a result of stronger year-ago shipments relating to end of support for windows XP as well as channels reducing inventory ahead of the release of Windows 10.
In addition, weaker or changing exchange rates for foreign currencies have effectively increased PC prices in many markets, thereby reducing purchasing power and also complicating investment planning.
“Although the second quarter decline in PC shipments was significant, and slightly more than expected, the overall trend fits with expectations,” says Loren Loverde, Vice President, Worldwide PC Trackers & Forecasting, IDC.
“We continue to expect low to mid-single digit declines in volume during the second half of the year with volume stabilising in future years.
“We're expecting the Windows 10 launch to go relatively well, though many users will opt for a free OS upgrade rather than buying a new PC.
“Competition from 2-in-1 devices and phones remains an issue, but the economic environment has had a larger impact lately, and that should stabilise or improve going forward."
Vendors
Lenovo held onto the top position with shipments of 13.4 million units. Volume was up 1 per cent from the prior quarter, but down -7.5 per cent from the prior year.
The vendor continued to aggressively court expansion outside of Asia/Pacific, leading to share gains in the U.S. and EMEA.
HP remained the number 2 vendor, but saw shipments decline -10.4 per cent from a year ago. Slowing business demand and inventory control of entry notebooks contributed to the dip.
While most of the slowdown was from outside of the U.S., the vendor also saw its U.S. volume contract nearly -7 per cent.
Dell came in at number 3, shipping more than 9.5 million units and registering a year-over-year decline of -8.7 per cent. Strong results in 2Q14 contributed to a poor year-over-year comparison.
Stronger performance in Asia/Pacific and EMEA were offset by slower growth in the U.S.
Apple continued to outperform other vendors, with growth of 16.1 per cent globally. The vendor has largely avoided the price competition affecting other players and may be benefitting from some of the uncertainty around the launch of Windows 10, along with refreshed products like the 12-inch MacBook and a relative concentration of shipments in the U.S.
Acer continued to see growth in Chromebooks with more models introduced. However, the vendor also struggled with the larger pullback in the market, particularly in EMEA where it had seen a rebound in mid-2014.
The vendor ended 2Q14 with a volume of 4.33 million, a significant decline from the prior quarter and year ago volumes.
ASUS was statistically tied with Acer for the number 5 position. ASUS has also been affected by currency factors and inventory management, but strong growth in the U.S. boosted overall results.
