Gartner Says Asia Pacific PC Shipments in the First Quarter of 2013 Drop to Lowest Levels Since First Quarter of 2012

All Regions Experienced a Decline in PC Shipments in First Quarter of 2013

Kuala Lumpur, April 12, 2013 — Asia Pacific PC shipments totaled 27.6 million units in the first quarter of 2013, a 10.3 percent decline from the first quarter in 2012, according to preliminary results by Gartner, Inc. On the other hand, worldwide PC shipments totaled 79.2 million units in the first quarter of 2013, a 11.2 percent decline from the first quarter of 2012.

This region also experienced its strongest decline since Gartner began tracking PC shipments. Asia/Pacific buyers remained cautious in spending amid a fragile economic environment. Both China and India experienced year-over-year shipment declines. Global PC shipments went below 80 million units for the first time since the second quarter of 2009. All regions showed a decrease in shipments, with the EMEA region experiencing the steepest decline.

"In the first quarter of 2013, it was the fourth consecutive quarter that showed a drop in worldwide PC shipments," said Mikako Kitagawa, principal analyst at Gartner. "Consumers are migrating content consumption from PCs to other connected devices, such as tablets and smartphones. Even emerging markets, where PC penetration is low, are not expected to be a strong growth area for PC vendors.

"Unlike the consumer PC segment, the professional PC market, which accounts for about half of overall PC shipments, has seen growth, driven by continuing PC refreshes. Despite the fact that some regions already passed the peak of PC refresh, overall professional PC demand continued to grow."

HP and Lenovo were in a virtual tie for the top position in the first quarter of 2013 (see Table 1). HP had a very challenging quarter, as it recorded its worst shipment decline since the acquisition of Compaq in 2003. HP's consumer business negatively affected its overall shipment volume, but its professional business was also under attack by competitors.

Table 1
Preliminary Worldwide PC Vendor Unit Shipment Estimates for 1Q13 (Units)

Company	1Q13 Shipments	1Q13 Market Share (%)	1Q12 Shipments	1Q12 Market Share (%)	1Q12-1Q13 Growth (%)
HP	11,687,778	14.8	15,301,906	17.2	-23.6
Lenovo	11,666,400	14.7	11,652,664	13.1	0.1
Dell	8,734,892	11.0	9,838,121	11.0	-11.2
Acer Group	6,843,184	8.6	9,582,046	10.9	-29.3
Asus	5,360,470	6.8	5,552,329	6.2	-3.5
Others	34,914,286	44.1	37,170,712	41.7	-6.1
Total	79,207,010	100.0	89,197,778	100.0	-11.2

Note: Data includes desk-based PCs and mobile PCs, including mini-notebooks but not media tablets such as the iPad.Source: Gartner (April 2013)

Lenovo's worldwide PC shipments were flat compared with a year ago. While its shipment growth rate exceeded the overall industry average, it was Lenovo's slowest growth since the first quarter of 2009. The slowdown was attributed to a shipment decline in Asia/Pacific, where more than 50 percent of Lenovo's PCs were shipped.

Dell also had a challenging quarter, registering a shipment decline in all regions except Japan. In Gartner's preliminary view, Dell's shipment growth in Japan was boosted by moderate demand, driven by a corporate refresh. Dell's discussions about a possible leveraged buyout impacted shipments, as competitors aggressively attacked Dell's position in the professional market.

In the U.S. market, PC shipments totaled 14.2 million units in the first quarter of 2013, a 9.6 percent decline from the first quarter of 2012 (see Table 2). It marked a record of six consecutive quarters of shipment declines.

"Although the overall economy had some upward momentum, it did not help buoy PC growth, suggesting the economic recovery is having little impact on PC market conditions," Ms. Kitagawa said. "Similar to other mature markets, the U.S. will see the installed base of consumer PCs decrease going forward. This is because many of these systems will not be replaced with PCs; they will be displaced by other devices, or simply retired."

Apple and Lenovo were the only vendors among the top five in the U.S. to experience PC shipment growth in the first quarter of 2013. HP held onto the top position, accounting for 24.2 percent of PC shipments in the U.S.; however, its shipments declined 23.3 percent from the first quarter of 2012.

Table 2

Preliminary U.S. PC Vendor Unit Shipment Estimates for 1Q13 (Units)

Company	1Q13 Shipments	1Q13 Market Share (%)	1Q12 Shipments	1Q12 Market Share (%)	1Q13-1Q12 Growth (%)
HP	3,447,894	24.2	4,493,572	28.5	-23.3
Dell	2,956,661	20.8	3,459,925	22.0	-14.5
Apple	1,650,012	11.6	1,535,951	9.8	7.4
Toshiba	1,278,883	9.0	1,349,900	8.6	-5.3
Lenovo	1,265,902	8.9	1,112,582	7.1	13.8
Others	3,623,468	25.5	3,788,927	24.1	-4.4
Total	14,222,820	100.0	15,740,856	100.0	-9.6

Note: Data includes desk-based PCs and mobile PCs, including mini-notebooks but not media tablets such as the iPad. Source: Gartner (April 2013)

PC shipments in EMEA totaled 23.3 million units in the first quarter of 2013, a 16 percent decline from the same period last year. It was the third consecutive quarter of declining shipments, and it was the steepest decline for the region since Gartner began tracking the region. Ongoing economic uncertainties in Southern European countries resulted in lower spending in those markets. Similar to other regions, consumers' interest continues to focus on smartphones and tablets, rather than PCs. 

These results are preliminary. Final statistics will be available soon to clients of Gartner's PC Quarterly Statistics Worldwide by Region program. This program offers a comprehensive and timely picture of the worldwide PC market, allowing product planning, distribution, marketing and sales organizations to keep abreast of key issues and their future implications around the globe. Additional research can be found on Gartner's Computing Hardware section on Gartner's website at http://www.gartner.com/it/products/research/asset_129157_2395.jsp.