Gartner: Q4 2008 is the Worst Shipment Growth For the PC Industry Since 2002

The Las Vegas Consumer Electronics Extravaganza is over and it is time to get back to reality. Today, Gartner is revealing the harsh truth about PC makers. According to preliminary results from the renown analysts firm, the worldwide shipments totaled 78.1 million units, a 1.1 per cent increase from Q4 2007 which is the worst growth rate since 2002. As we all know, the growth driver for the holiday season was the netbook segment, which outpaced the mobile PC category growth. This trend contributed to PC revenue record decline: ASP (average selling price) declined significantly and low-priced systems sales increased. The worldwide PC shipment estimates for the year 2008 is 302.2 Million Units with a 10.9% increase from 2007.

Top Five PC Vendors Worldwide for Q4 2008 (preliminary estimates from Gartner):

• #1 HP: 14.9 Million Units, 19.1% Market Share, 3.5% growth from Q4 2007
• Grew more than the worldwide average.
• HP declined in North America : – 3.4%, 2nd position, 27.5% market share

• #2 Dell: 10.3 Million Units, 13.2% Market Share, -5.9% growth from Q4 2007
• Strong growth in Asia/pacific.
• Dell struggled in the North America (-16.4%, 1st position, 28.6% market share) and EMEA.

• #3 Acer: 9.6 Million Units, 12.3% Market Share, 31.1% growth from Q4 2007
• Exceptional 31.1% growth driven by low priced PCs.
• The growth is even better in North America: 55.4% (3rd position/15.2% market share)

• #4 Lenovo: 95.5 Million Units, 7.1% Market Share, -4.5% growth from Q4 2007
• Maintained the fourth position in the world but suffered a shipment decline for the first time since 2006
• Lenovo is not in the Top 5 in the North America.

• #5 Toshiba: 3.6 Million Units, 4.7% Market Share, 20.7% growth from Q4 2007
• Toshiba is the second best growth worldwide, with an astounding 29.6% growth in EMEA
• North America: 12% growth, 5th position, 5.2% market share

• Others (worldwide): 34 Million Units, 43.6% Market Share, -4.6% growth from Q4 2007

• Apple is number 4 in North America, with 8% market share and 8.3% growth
• EMEA : #1 HP, #2 Acer, #3 Dell, #4 Asus (67.9% growth there!), #5 Toshiba (29.6% growth, second best growth in this market)

• Note: Data includes desk-based PCs, mobile PCs and X86 servers.
• All numbers are for Q4 2008, and growth is from Q4 2007 to Q4 2008
• Source: Gartner (January 2009) Read more on Gartner press release.

Eliane Fiolet
Categories: Computers, General