Seizing the moment
The latest global PC market figures from market researcher IDC reveal that, while growth remains slow across the board, Lenovo is capitalising on the opportunities presented by the stumbles of its competitors.
Worldwide PC shipments increased by 3.6 percent in Q3, which was up from 2.7 percent in Q2, but below IDC's forcast of 4.5 percent growth for the quarter. This is mainly due to the persistently fraught nature of the global economy, and one of the reasons Lenovo has done relatively well is that things are better in Asia than in the West.
"For the moment, PCs have taken a backseat to a range of other devices competing for shrinking consumer and business budgets," said Jay Chou, IDC analyst. "While growth is expected to stay in mid-single digits in the fourth quarter, we should see faster growth in 2012 and beyond based on easier comparisons and refreshed PC offerings as the industry better addresses the evolving usage models by integrating more of the features in ultra mobile devices."
"Most vendors continue to struggle with the slow market environment and product changes," said Loren Loverde, IDC VP. "Although we don't see media tablets and other devices replacing PCs, questions on how products will evolve, and consumer interest in these and other categories are providing a distraction. And while price remains critical, many users are delaying PC purchases for the moment. Still, there are opportunities, as demonstrated by Lenovo's gains, and we expect PCs to find stronger demand in the coming years."
Lenovo has been very pro-active in the channel at a time when HP is struggling with the aftermath of saying it can't be bothered with the consumer market, Dell also seems more focused on the enterprise market, and Acer is still clearing up its EMEA carnage. ASUS overtook Toshiba for the number five spot thanks, in part, to a strong performance in emerging markets, while Apple continued its two year tend of 20 percent growth.
Lenovo CEO, Yuanqing Yang, saw fit to issue a public statement on the figures. Acer used to do that too: "Lenovo has captured incredible marketplace momentum to surpass two competitors to capture the number two spot in worldwide PCs over the span of just two quarters," said Yang. "This is the highest rank Lenovo has achieved in worldwide PC sales and, given the current competitive environment, positions the company as a strong challenger to ultimately become the global market leader."
Top 5 Vendors, Worldwide PC Shipments, Third Quarter 2011 (Preliminary) (Units Shipments are in thousands)
|
Rank |
Vendor |
3Q11 |
Market |
3Q10 |
Market |
3Q11/3Q10 |
|
1 |
HP |
16,652 |
18.1% |
15,811 |
17.8% |
5.3% |
|
2 |
Lenovo |
12,579 |
13.7% |
9,242 |
10.4% |
36.1% |
|
3 |
Dell |
11,007 |
12.0% |
11,183 |
12.6% |
-1.6% |
|
4 |
Acer Group |
9,207 |
10.0% |
11,592 |
13.1% |
-20.6% |
|
5 |
ASUS |
6,002 |
6.5% |
4,610 |
5.2% |
30.2% |
|
Others |
36,432 |
39.7% |
36,241 |
40.9% |
0.5% |
|
|
All Vendors |
91,879 |
100.0% |
88,679 |
100.0% |
3.6% |
Source: IDC Worldwide Quarterly PC Tracker, October 12, 2011
