Worldwide PC shipments totaled 75.6 million units in the second quarter of 2013 (2Q13), down -11.4% compared to the same quarter in 2012 but slightly better than expected, according to the IDC Worldwide Quarterly PC Tracker. Total shipments were effectively right on forecasts of 75.4 million and growth of -11.7%, although Europe, Middle East, and Africa (EMEA) and Asia/Pacific (excluding Japan)(APeJ) were a few points below expectations with the difference made up in the United States.
In the U.S., decline in shipments was just -1.9%, a substantial improvement from double-digit declines in three of the past four quarters. While positive, this recovery was enabled by lower volume in 2Q12 and supported by a marked reduction in old inventory that enabled a more aggressive channel uptake. Additionally, wider selections of Windows 8 models offered by top vendors and migration from Window XP to Win7 helped to push volume higher than anticipated. Dell managed to climb above 3.8 million units for the first time since 2011, gaining a few points of share in the U.S. PC market. HP maintained its leadership position, growing roughly even with the market. These two vendors represented nearly 50% of total U.S. PC shipments in 2Q13.
The IDC forecast noted that Lenovo took the top PC vendor title, continuing its streak of gains following channel expansion and solid product development. In 2Q13, Lenovo continued to make gains outside of APeJ. However, the headwinds in China continued to affect its home turf significantly. Lenovo ended the quarter with a double-digit decline in Asia/Pacific (excluding Japan). Overall growth has slowed from prior quarters, and slipped into negative territory this quarter, but still outpaced the market and top competitors.
HP slipped to second place, but growth improved from recent quarters. The company received a strong boost from shipments to India as part of large education projects. Shipments continued to decline significantly in EMEA, although the company's U.S. business stabilized a bit after a significant decline in the first quarter of 2013.
"With second quarter growth so close to forecast, we are still looking for some improvement in growth during the second half of the year," said Jay Chou, Senior Analyst, IDC Worldwide PC Tracker. "Slower growth in Europe and China reflect the risks, while the improved U.S. outlook reflects potential improvement. Still, the weakness in emerging markets is a threat to a core long-term growth area. In addition, while efforts by the PC ecosystem to bring down price points and embrace touch computing should make PCs more attractive, a lot still needs to be done in launching attractive products and addressing competition from devices like tablets."
One positive sign is that HP and Dell saw growth improve over recent quarters, possibly indicating stronger performance in coming quarters and reflecting more commercial replacements as we get closer to the end of Windows XP support. Market leader Lenovo also grew faster than the market (as well as faster than HP and Dell) although Lenovo growth slipped below zero at -1.4% and was down from prior quarters. Slow growth for Lenovo reflects the company's focus on China, which represents over 50% of Lenovo shipments, and where short-term economic and inventory hurdles cut into 2Q13 shipments.
"The U.S. market is beginning to reflect some of the Windows XP to Windows 7 transition we've been expecting in the commercial PC space, as evidenced by the strong growth in the enterprise-focused Dell PC business," said Bob O'Donnell, Program Vice President, Clients and Displays. "We're also starting to see more stabilization in shipments, which we think is a reflection of PC lifetimes finally starting to even out after a long period of gradual increase. The end result should be more PC replacements, even if consumers and companies are selective in making replacements and wait until PCs are older before replacing them."
