UPDATE: Global PC Shipments Fall For 1st Time Since Recession

Global shipments of personal computers declined for the first time since the end of the recent recession, a pair of data trackers showed, as consumers remained more attracted to tablets and business spending was still muted.

International Data Corp. said global PC shipments fell 3.2% in the first quarter, while Gartner Inc. (IT) reported a 1.1% drop. Both firms previously had forecast slight growth for the quarter. Gartner said the last time sales had fallen was in the second quarter of 2009.

"The U.S. and world-wide PC market continues to work through a difficult era that we expect will continue into next quarter, but will start to improve in the second half of the year," said IDC analyst Bob O'Donnell.

The disappointing results underscore challenges facing top computer manufacturers as tablet computers such as Apple Inc.'s (AAPL) iPad attract the interest of consumers and corporations alike. Equally significant has been the advancement of computer components, which continue to get faster and more efficient. Those parts have extended the usable lifetime of a computer and allowed consumers and businesses to stall what once were essential upgrades.

"Weak demand for consumer PCs was the biggest inhibitor of growth," said Mikako Kitagawa, principal analyst at Gartner. "Low prices for consumer PCs, which had long stimulated growth, no longer attracted buyers. Instead, consumers turned their attention to media tablets and other consumer electronics."

Hewlett-Packard Co. (HPQ) maintained its position as the world's top computer maker, according to both data trackers, although it shipped fewer PCs in the first quarter. IDC said Dell Inc. (DELL) was second world-wide, while Gartner had Acer Inc. (2353.TW) behind H-P. Both IDC and Gartner had Acer's shipments declining by a double-digit percentage.

The tracking firms agreed that Acer's lackluster performance was a result of the company's decision to dive head-first into making netbooks--tiny no-frills cheap laptops. As the market saturated and sales of netbooks slowed, Acer hasn't been able to effectively combat that with different products.

H-P was able to outperform in most markets, IDC said, although it did struggle in some Asian countries. By comparison, Dell made significant strides in emerging markets, but it posted disappointing shipments in key markets, such as the U.S.

Lenovo Group Ltd. (0992.HK) and Toshiba Corp. (6502.TO) were in fourth- and fifth-place, respectively, both firms said.

Apple, meanwhile, saw its U.S. shipments rise in the first quarter, netting it 8.5% market share, according to IDC, or 9.3% at Gartner. Both firms said Apple posted healthy gains in the U.S. as compared to roughly 7% market share the same time last year.

IDC and Gartner said demand in the U.S. fell from the same time last year, while shipments to Asian and Pacific regions other than Japan increased, though IDC analysts had hoped for stronger growth.

According to Garter, PC shipments in Japan declined 13.1% in the first quarter. The firm said the earthquake and tsunami on March 11 reduced shipments, with the impact most evident in the professional PC market, where the second half of March is the year's busiest procurement period.

-By Ian Sherr, Dow Jones Newswires; 415-439-6455; ian.sherr@dowjones.com

Dell (NASDAQ:DELL)
과거 데이터 주식 차트
부터 6월(6) 2024 으로 7월(7) 2024