Research firms IDC and Gartner published last week the preliminary fourth quarter PC shipment results, and the verdict is decisive: Worldwide growth of at least 15% between 4Q08 and 4Q09.
“These preliminary results indicate the recovery of the PC market on a global level,” said Mikako Kitagawa, principal analyst at Gartner.
“The U.S. and Asia/Pacific had already shown positive indicators last quarter, however the fourth quarter 2009 results were more concrete evidence of the recovery. The Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) region entered the economic downturn later than the U.S. and Asia/Pacific, so it has been slower to recover. The EMEA region returned to positive shipment growth for the first time in three quarters, and Latin America and Japan also recorded shipment increases.”
In all, worldwide PC growth came in at 15.2% (IDC) to 22.1% (Gartner), but these figures pale in comparison to growth in the United States for 4Q09, which came in at 24% (IDC) to 26.5% (IDC). This is due to the EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa) region, which entered the recession later than the US, and is therefore a step behind in the recovery process. The Japanese (up 3.1%), Greater Asia (up 31%) and South American (unspecified) markets also posted growth.
As the US and global markets recover, the real test says the research firms will be to bring up profit margins.
“The market has weathered a storm which looks to be behind us,” says Jay Chou, research analyst, Worldwide Quarterly PC Tracker.
“But salvaging decreasing margins will soon become even more pertinent as one considers the long-term effects of holding market share at the cost of profitability. Without an effective strategy to convey a clear usage model and feature set tied to each segment, the market will inevitably continue down the slippery slope of ‘good-enough’ computing sold to the lowest bidder.”
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