PCR Tech and IT retail, distribution and vendor news
PC shipments in EMEA saw an increase of 14.4 per cent over the Q4 period, bolstered by continued strong demand and heavy vendor advertising, according to the latest figures from market research firm IDC.
Notebooks were the primary driver of demand, seeing 30 per cent growth over the same time last year, driven largely by heavy advertising and continued demand from consumers and SMBs.
Sales of desktops on the other hand remained flat, with much of the remaining demand coming from corporate and enterprise buyers refreshing their PC stock.
"While the back-to-school season was mostly geared towards students, with aggressively priced lower-end offerings, the Christmas season was marked by increasing demand for family PCs, allowing vendors to up-sell to solid mainstream specs at slightly higher prices," said Eszter Morvay, senior research analyst for IDC’s EMEA PC tracker.
Total PC shipments for 2007 reached 88 million, representing an increase of 15.4 per cent compared to the previous year.
"2007 marked a clear expansion of the notebook market across the region both from a customer adoption and offering perspectives, and the constitution of a large consumer and business portable installed base will offer a solid base for continued PC market growth over the coming years," said Karine Paoli, director for IDC’s EMEA PC group.
"2008 will benefit from continued growth in the portable space and from an acceleration of the business refresh cycle.
"However, as the market further commoditizes, the industry faces increasing business model and marketing challenges, and market share concentration among a smaller number of players, already evident this quarter, is likely to continue."
