According to a new report from the International Data Corporation (IDC), lackluster PC shipment in the fourth quart of 2012 has least to 6.4 percent decline compare to a year ago quarter (Q4 2011). IDC had anticipated a decline of around 4.4 percent. The IDC report puts worldwide PC shipments at 89.8 million units in the fourth quarter of 2012 (4Q12).
In what appears to be bad news for Microsoft, IDC study shows that the launch of Windows 8 failed to reverse recent sluggish demand for PC. According to the report, the PC market continued to take a back seat to competing devices and sustained economic woes.
Top 5 Vendors, Worldwide PC Shipments, Fourth Quarter 2012 (Preliminary) (Units Shipments are in thousands)
| Vendor |
4Q12 Shipments |
4Q12 Market Share |
4Q11 Shipments |
4Q11 Market Share |
4Q12/4Q11 Growth |
| HP |
15,023 |
16.7% |
15,113 |
15.8% |
-0.6% |
| Lenovo |
14,105 |
15.7% |
13,040 |
13.6% |
8.2% |
| Dell |
9,482 |
10.6% |
11,967 |
12.5% |
-20.8% |
| Acer Group |
6,959 |
7.8% |
9,692 |
10.1% |
-28.2% |
| ASUS |
6,467 |
7.2% |
6,126 |
6.4% |
5.6% |
| Others |
37,753 |
42.0% |
39,974 |
41.7% |
-5.6% |
| All Vendors |
89,789 |
100.0% |
95,913 |
100.0% |
-6.4% |
Source: IDC Worldwide Quarterly PC Tracker, January 10, 2013
“Although the third quarter was focused on the clearing of Windows 7 inventory, preliminary research indicates the clearance did not significantly boost the uptake of Windows 8 systems in Q4,” said Jay Chou, senior research analyst with IDC’s Worldwide Quarterly PC Tracker. “Lost in the shuffle to promote a touch-centric PC, vendors have not forcefully stressed other features that promote a more secure, reliable and efficient user experience. As Windows 8 matures, and other corresponding variables such as Ultrabook pricing continue to drop, hopefully the PC market can see a reset in both messaging and demand in 2013.”
However, it was not all bad news for PC vendors. IDC report illustrates that top PC brands such as HP, Lenovo, Asus, and Samsung managed to do to well in a difficult market.
Source: IDC
