Decline in PC shipments by 12% observed in Western Europe
In the final quarter of 2012, the UK PC market witnessed a slight decline, with 3.1 million units shipped, marking a 0.7% decrease year on year. This trend was reflected in the broader Western European market, where a total of 15.3 million units were shipped, representing an 8.4% decline compared to 2011.
Despite the challenging market conditions, Dell managed to secure the third position in the UK PC market, with revenue of $2.218 billion and a market share of 15.1%. This was a slight dip of 1.2% year on year for Dell, who trailed behind market leader HP, Dell (10.8%), Lenovo (10.5%), Acer (8.7%), and Asus (8.3%).
HP extended its position as the market leader, showing strong growth in both consumer and professional PC markets. The company's dominance was further underpinned by new initiatives that helped retain its position as the market leader in the desktop and professional PC markets, with a 21% market share in the region.
The professional PC market, which had been in decline for two consecutive quarters, returned to growth in the final quarter of 2012. This growth was partly due to businesses refreshing their workstations, although the consumer PC market continued to struggle, declining 17.6% in the same period.
The consumer PC market's decline was not attributed to the release of Windows 8 or the new thinner and lighter PCs, as some had predicted. Instead, the shift to other devices, such as tablets and smartphones, has become a permanent trend, leaving the PC market struggling to show value. This sentiment was echoed by Ranjit Atwal, research director at Gartner, who stated that any seasonal consumer upturn in the fourth quarter failed to materialize.
The PC market in Western Europe is currently in a downward spiral, according to Gartner. For the full year 2012, the total PC shipments in Western Europe were 58 million units. In the UK, Lenovo became the second-biggest vendor in the professional PC market with a 4% increase year on year. Acer, Lenovo, and Asus were tied for second, third, and fourth place respectively in the UK PC market during the last quarter of 2012, each with an 11% market share.
In conclusion, while the UK and Western European PC markets experienced a decline in 2012, Dell managed to secure a strong third position in the UK market. However, the shift towards other devices continues to pose a significant challenge to the PC market, with market leaders like HP and Lenovo adapting their strategies to remain competitive.
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