FRAMINGHAM, Mass. — (BUSINESS WIRE) — January 9, 2014 — Worldwide PC shipments totaled 82.2 million units in the fourth quarter of 2013 (4Q13), representing a year-on-year contraction of -5.6%, a shade better than the forecast of -6.0% growth, according to the International Data Corporation ( IDC) Worldwide Quarterly PC Tracker.

For the full year 2013, unit shipments declined -10.0% from 2012, a record drop reflecting the changes in mobility and personal computing affecting the market. While commercial purchases helped to prevent a larger decline, the consumer side remained weak.

"The PC market again came in very close to expectations, but unfortunately failed to significantly change the trajectory of growth," said Loren Loverde, Vice President, Worldwide PC Trackers. "Total shipments have now declined for seven consecutive quarters, and even the holiday shopping season was unable to inspire a turn in consumer spending. Although U.S. growth slipped a little in the fourth quarter, other regions all improved, reinforcing our view that growth rates will continue to improve gradually during 2014 despite remaining in negative territory."

"In the United States, market leader HP had a difficult quarter, contracting -12.3% year on year as the market slowed following an HP surge in the third quarter. However, Asian majors like Lenovo and Samsung achieved strong double-digit growth, driven partly by a modest commercial uptick and partly due to retail acceptance of their emerging product categories, such as Chromebooks. Dell and Toshiba also managed mid single-digit growth, essentially coming from large corporate refreshes in the enterprise segment," said Rajani Singh, Senior Research Analyst, Personal Computing. "Nevertheless, despite a dip in total shipments, the U.S. market outperformed most other regions and the worldwide market as a whole for the fifth consecutive quarter, reflecting a relative degree of stabilization."

Regional Highlights

United States – With shipments totaling 17.1 million PCs in 4Q13, the U.S. market contracted by -1.6% from the same quarter a year ago. Consumers continued to take a wait-and-see approach, leading to delayed purchases. The migration from Windows XP to Windows 7 and 8 continued to drive some momentum in the enterprise sector and once again businesses fared better than consumers.

EMEA – The PC market in EMEA remained constrained in the final quarter of 2013. As expected, demand in the commercial segment was supported by year-end budget spending, with end of support for Windows XP deals contributing to even stronger shipments in the last three months of the year. As anticipated, the consumer market remained much more depressed, with shipments remaining soft amid ongoing weakness in demand, as tablets continued to attract end users.

Japan – Volume was higher than expected, ending the fourth quarter with a jump in positive growth. Factors included continued progress in economic activity, favorable exchange rates, and Windows XP migration. Nevertheless, consumer shipments remained slow.

Asia/Pacific (excluding Japan) – Market results were close to forecasts, despite some unexpected weak spots, including consumer spending in India as well as Thailand, where political turmoil adversely impacted the market more than initially expected.

Vendor Highlights

Lenovo expanded its lead in total worldwide shipments with particularly strong growth in EMEA, Japan, and Latin America. The firm has continued to stay aggressive with its breadth of products, flexibility, and focus on channel development. Growth in the U.S. slowed, but remained ahead of other market leaders.

HP retained the number 2 position, but its channels took a more cautious approach in key markets, and shipments in the U.S. dropped by more than -12% year on year. Fourth quarter shipments were also down slightly from the third quarter, suggesting a clearing of inventory as well as slowing projects in Asia/Pacific.

Dell saw growth rise to 5.8% in 4Q13 compared to the previous year. The Americas continued to be a strong area for Dell, while shipments in Asia/Pacific also returned to positive growth.

Top 5 Vendors, Worldwide PC Shipments, Fourth Quarter 2013 (Preliminary)
(Units Shipments are in thousands)

Source: IDC Worldwide Quarterly PC Tracker, January 9, 2014
Table notes follow the last table

In addition to the table above, an interactive graphic showing worldwide PC market share for the top 5 vendors over the previous five quarters is available here. The chart is intended for public use in online news articles and social media. Instructions on how to embed this graphic can be found by viewing this press release on IDC.com.

Top 5 Vendors, United States PC Shipments, Fourth Quarter 2013 (Preliminary)
(Units Shipments are in thousands)

Source: IDC Worldwide Quarterly PC Tracker, January 9, 2014
Table notes follow the last table

Top 5 Vendors, Worldwide PC Shipments, 2013 (Preliminary)
(Units Shipments are in thousands)

Source: IDC Worldwide Quarterly PC Tracker, January 9, 2014
Table notes follow the last table

Top 5 Vendors, United States PC Shipments, 2013 (Preliminary)
(Units Shipments are in thousands)

Source: IDC Worldwide Quarterly PC Tracker, January 9, 2014

Table Notes:

• Some IDC estimates prior to financial earnings reports.
• Shipments include shipments to distribution channels or end users. OEM sales are counted under the vendor/brand under which they are sold.
• PCs include Desktops, Portables, Ultraslim Notebooks, Workstations and do not include handhelds, x86 Servers and Tablets (i.e. iPad, Tablets with detachable keyboards running either Windows or Android). Data for all vendors are reported for calendar periods.

IDC's Worldwide Quarterly PC Tracker gathers PC market data in over 80 countries by vendor, form factor, brand, processor brand and speed, sales channel and user segment. The research includes historical and forecast trend analysis as well as price band and installed base data.

For more information, or to subscribe to the research, please contact Kathy Nagamine at 650-350-6423 or knagamine@idc.com.

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