 |
 Back to 2006 Press Releases
|
Gartner Says Worldwide PC Shipments Increased 13.1 Percent in First Quarter of 2006 |
STAMFORD, Conn., April 19, 2006 - Worldwide PC shipments totaled 57 million units in the first quarter of 2006, a 13.1 percent increase over the same period last year, according to preliminary statistics by Gartner, Inc. (see Table 1). Most regions performed in line with Gartner's expectation with the exception of the U.S. PC market which exceeded projections due to strong home desktop demand.
"In the first quarter of 2006, emerging markets and consumer demand in the mature regions were the major growth engines on a worldwide basis," said Charles Smulders, vice president of Gartner's Computing Platforms Worldwide Group. "Mobile demand remains strong worldwide, but in the U.S. desktop consumer market demand increased in response to renewed price competition."
Dell maintained the No. 1 position in worldwide PC shipments in the first quarter (see Table 1); however, its shipment increase of 10 percent marked its weakest performance since the third quarter of 2001. Dell's growth came entirely from non-U.S. markets because U.S. shipments were flat. Hewlett-Packard significantly narrowed the unit share gap between it and Dell on a worldwide basis compared with a year ago. HP performed strongly across all regions taking advantage of consumer demand in many regions. However, analysts said HP's first quarter growth rate is partially inflated by a weak performance one year ago, when the company experienced supply problems.
Table 1
Preliminary Worldwide PC Vendor Unit Shipment Estimates for 1Q06 (Thousands of Units)
| Company |
1Q06 Shipments |
1Q06 Market Share (%) |
1Q05 Shipments |
1Q05 Market Share (%) |
1Q06-1Q05
Growth (%) |
| Dell |
9,414 |
16.5 |
8,541 |
16.9 |
10.2 |
| Hewlett-Packard |
8,540 |
14.9 |
6,984 |
13.8 |
22.3 |
| Lenovo |
3.418 |
6.0 |
3,092 |
6.1 |
10.5 |
| Acer |
2,849 |
5.0 |
1,958 |
3.9 |
45.5 |
Fujitsu/
Fujitsu Siemens |
2,237 |
3.9 |
2,098 |
4.2 |
6.6 |
| Others |
30,678 |
53.7 |
27,859 |
55.1 |
10.1 |
| Total |
57,138 |
100.00 |
50,533 |
100.00 |
13.1 |
Note: Data includes deskbased PCs, mobile PCs and X86 servers.
Source: Gartner Dataquest (April 2006)
Although Asia/Pacific and Latin America experienced the strongest growth, the Europe, Middle East, and Africa (EMEA) region was the leading region in PC shipments. Shipments in EMEA totaled 19.1 million units in the first quarter, a 12.6 percent increase over the same period last year (see Table 2). While the region's performance was in line with Gartner's earlier projections, some vendors had expected a stronger quarter. This resulted in higher inventory levels and increased sales promotions. Vendors must decide whether to challenge for market share or maintain profitability in the region.
Table 2
Preliminary Worldwide PC Unit Shipment Estimates for 1Q06 (Thousands of Units)
| All Geography |
1Q06 Shipments |
1Q06 Market Share (%) |
1Q05 Shipments |
1Q05 Market Share (%) |
1Q06-1Q05
Growth (%) |
| EMEA |
19,096 |
33.4 |
16,960 |
33.6 |
12.6 |
| United States |
16,358 |
28.6 |
15,226 |
30.1 |
7.4 |
| Asia/Pacific |
11,612 |
20.3 |
9,317 |
18.4 |
24.6 |
| Latin America |
3,998 |
7.0 |
3,253 |
6.4 |
22.9 |
| Japan |
4,354 |
7.6 |
4,163 |
8.2 |
4.6 |
| Canada |
1,720 |
3.0 |
1,616 |
3.2 |
6.4 |
| Total |
57,138 |
100.0 |
50,534 |
100.0 |
13.1 |
Note: Data includes desk-based PCs, mobile PCs and X86 servers.
Source: Gartner Dataquest (April 2006)
Strong consumer demand was an important growth driver in the United States during the quarter. U.S.PC shipments totaled 16.4 million units in the quarter, a 7.4 percent increase. Dell's U.S. shipments were almost flat compared with one year ago. This continues the trend of slowing growth which began in 3Q05, but it is the first time that Dell has exhibited growth below the U.S. market average. A weaker performance in the consumer segment was largely to blame. Overall, HP grew 15.3 percent in the first quarter of 2006, however, Dell retained an 11.3 percentage point market share lead.
The Asia/Pacific PC market grew 25 percent, as shipments reached 11.6 million in the first quarter. China and India continue to be the major growth countries in the region, as well as South Korea, which had better-than-expected demand.
PC shipments in Japan totaled 4.3 million units, a 5 percent increase. Overall professional demand was relatively weak. Replacement cycle growth in large enterprises peaked in 2005, and PC demand in large enterprises seems to be more focused on mid-to-small-size deals.
The Latin American PC market experienced an increase of 23 percent, as PC shipments in the region reached 3.9 million units. This growth rate was in line with forecast expectations.
Gartner estimates that AMD continued to increase its market share in 1Q06. This will be the seventh consecutive quarter that AMD gained market share in the worldwide PC market. Competition between AMD and Intel intensified during the quarter, particularly in the channel.
These results are preliminary. Final statistics will be available soon to clients of Gartner's PC Quarterly Statistics Worldwide by Region program. This program offers a comprehensive and timely picture of the worldwide PC market, allowing product planning, distribution, marketing and sales organizations to keep abreast of key issues and their future implications around the globe. To subscribe to this program, please call 408-468-8000. Additional research can be found on Gartner's Computing Hardware section on Gartner's Web site here.
CONTACTS:
Christy Pettey
(408) 468-8312
christy.pettey@gartner.com
|
About Gartner:
Gartner, Inc. (NYSE: IT) delivers the technology-related insight necessary for its clients to make the right decisions, every day. Gartner serves 10,000 organizations, including chief information officers and other senior IT executives in corporations and government agencies, as well as technology companies and the investment community. The Company consists of Gartner Research, Gartner Executive Programs, Gartner Consulting and Gartner Events. Founded in 1979, Gartner is headquartered in Stamford, Connecticut, U.S.A., and has 3,700 associates, including 1,200 research analysts and consultants in 75 countries worldwide. For more information, visit www.gartner.com.
|
|
|
|
|
