Signs of Gradual PC Market Recovery in Asia Pacific, Reports Gartner

Worldwide PC shipments totalled 68.1 million units in the second quarter of 2009, a 5 percent decline from the second quarter of 2008, according to preliminary results from Gartner Inc. The market performed better than Gartner had expected. In June, Gartner had forecast second quarter PC shipments to decline 9.8 percent.

"In the first quarter of 2009, inventory re-stocking played a major role in shipment growth, but this was less of a factor in the second quarter,” said Mikako Kitagawa, Principal Analyst at Gartner. "Though the market was still in decline, the better than expected results can be interpreted as a small sign of a PC market recovery in terms of shipment volumes in some regions. PC shipments in Asia Pacific and the US were better than our expectation, while shipments in the Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) region indicated on-ongoing weakness.”

PC shipments in Asia Pacific registered 20.5 million units in the second quarter of 2009, a 2.3 percent increase from the second quarter of 2008. This is the first positive growth indicator after two quarters of negative shipments. The market was driven by China. The PC market in China grew 7 percent in the quarter. The main contributor was the release of pent up demand since the fourth quarter of 2008, as well as improved market confidence fuelled by China’s stock market and real estate industry.

PC shipments in Japan surpassed 3.4 million units in the second quarter of 2009, a 3.2 percent decline. The professional market continued to indicate weak performances because of sluggish demand from the corporate segment that has been affected by the recession. The consumer segment maintained a low to mid-teen double digit growth rate compared to the same period last year.

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