Global PC shipments fell 6.9 per cent to 82.6 million units in the fourth quarter of 2013, the seventh consecutive quarterly decline, according to a study by research and analyst firm Gartner.

“Although PC shipments continued to decline in the worldwide market in the fourth quarter, we increasingly believe markets such as the US have bottomed out as the adjustment to the installed base slows," said Mikako Kitagawa, principal analyst at Gartner.

“Strong growth in tablets continued to negatively impact PC growth in the emerging markets. In the emerging markets, the first connected device for consumers is most likely a smartphone, and their first computing device is a tablet. As a result, the adoption of PCs in emerging markets will be slower as consumers skip PCs for tablets,” Kitagawa added.

Lenovo took the lead in the fourth quarter, as it did last quarter, accounting for 18.1 per cent of global PC shipments. It showed strong growth in all regions, except the Asia-Pacific, where China continued to be a problematic country for the company. HP posted a decline of 7.2 per cent in the fourth quarter. The US and Latin America were two regions where HP could not increase its shipments, and it experienced a steeper decline compared with the regional average.

Dell continued to maintain the third position and accounted for 11.8 per cent of the market. Acer and Asus’ ranking remained unchanged compared with a year ago. Both companies have more focus on tablets, and their fourth-quarter results clearly proved their strategic focus.

In the US, PC shipments totalled 15.8 million units in the fourth quarter of 2013, a 7.5 per cent decline from the fourth quarter of 2012. Despite a 10.3 per cent decline in shipments, HP continued to be the No. 1 vendor in the US, as it accounted for 26.5 per cent of shipments.

>rajesh.kurup@thehindu.co.in

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