Worldwide PC shipments declined to 64.8 million in the first quarter of 2016, a 9.6 percent fall on the 71.7 million units sold in the year-earlier quarter, according to a preliminary report from Gartner. The first three months of 2016 marked the sixth consecutive quarter of worldwide PC shipment decline and the first time since 2007 that quarterly sales have fallen below 65 million units. All major regions posted a fall in shipments, with the deterioration of local currencies against the US dollar continuing to play a major role, said Gartner.
Emerging economies were particularly affected by the decline, with PC shipments in Latin America plummeting 32.4 percent year on year, strongly impacted by economic and political instability in Brazil. The report added that the ongoing decline in US shipments showed that the installed base is still shrinking, a factor that was reflected across all developed economies.
The first quarter of 2016 saw Lenovo retain its leading position in PC sales with 19.3 percent of the market even though its sales fell 7.2 percent to 12.4 million. However, in the last four quarters Lenovo has showed double-digit shipment growth in the US, while the overall market has declined. HP remained second with 17.6 percent of the global market compared to 17.5 percent in Q1 2015, followed by Dell with a 14.1 percent share, and Asus and Apple, with 8.3 percent and 7.1 percent respectively.
