HP out front in PC market, consumer shipments ahead of expectations

Peter Dinham
Thursday, 16 April 2009 18:40

Business IT - Technology

IDC’s Loren Loverde says 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."
Loverde also says that following a drawdown in inventory throughout the supply chain, IDC expects more stable production over the next couple of quarters, with growth returning around the end of the year.

Her IDC colleague, Bob O’Donnell, says that the U.S. PC market proved to be surprisingly resilient as notebooks were still seen as important purchases by many U.S. consumers.

"HP's dethroning of Dell as the U.S. 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.

For the Asia Pacific region, IDC reports that the region met expectations as most major countries came close to forecasts, balancing another sizeable decline in India.
 
According to IDC, desktop shipments in Asia Pacific declined faster than expected, especially as commercial activity remain weak, and consumer portables were the main driver for the region, particularly in Greater China.