Shipments of traditional PCs (desktop, notebook and workstation) came to 62.3 million units in the second quarter, up 2.7 percent year on year and the strongest growth in more than six years, according to preliminary data from IDC. Although helped to some extent by a weak second quarter in 2017, the report said shipments were driven above all by stronger business demand, with the top three companies reaping benefits across both desktop and notebook, as well as improved supply and prices of graphic cards.
Geographically, all regions exceeded forecast, with both mature and emerging markets seeing good activity. The US market delivered another growth quarter with a total of 17.3 million units sold after coming in just below flat in 2017. In Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA) the traditional PC market experienced modest growth, owing to a further wave of device renewals in the commercial space, while the Asia/Pacific market was supported by positive results in India, where better than expected consumer demand and good traction in the commercial market drove shipments.
The report also showed that top 5 companies all posted positive year-on-year growth in Q2, collectively growing over 7 percent and capturing nearly 78 percent of the overall market. Scale, be it in the form of purchasing power to reduce costs, obtain scarce components, or channel reach, continued to be the catalyst for industry consolidation.
HP extended its streak of consecutive quarters of year-on-year growth, climbing 7.6 percent year on year to with 14.86 million sales and a 23.9 percent market share. Lenovo followed with 13.76 million sales and 22.1 percent of the market on the back of refresh momentum in Japan and its joint venture stake in Fujitsu, which took effect in Q2. Dell posted a strong growth of 9.0 percent in third place, buoyed by strong performances in nearly all regions to sell 11.26 million units.
The top 5 was rounded out by Apple, with sales of 4.31 million, nearly flat year-on-year, and Acer with sales of 4.20 million, up 1.3 percent year on year thanks to its focus on gaming and Chrome.
