Dubai: Computer shipments in Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) saw a rebound in the second quarter after seven quarters of consecutive declines as many large enterprises replace their ageing laptops and desktops.

The market experienced a 10.5 per cent year-on-year growth to 21.9 million units, fuelled by Western Europe by registering a 25 per cent growth in sales.

HP maintained its leadership with 21.7 per cent market share, followed by Lenovo with 18 per cent, Acer with 11.6 per cent and Dell with 10.6 per cent.

At the same time, Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) remained impacted by the unstable political and economic situation in Russia and by currency fluctuations. As forecast, CEE declined by 13.2 per cent.

The Middle East and Africa (MEA) posted a modest 1.9 per cent increase in shipments due to the Windows XP renewals taking place across all commercial segments.

According to Chrystelle Labesque, research manager at International Data corporation (IDC) EMEA Personal Computing, the increase in total EMEA shipments indicates a rebound in the market but not a recovery as volumes remain below the 25 million unit mark of the peak periods in 2010 and 2012.

Laptops grew 8.3 per cent while desktops grew by 14.1 per cent.

“The clear improvements in EMEA are positive signs for PC manufacturers,” said Labesque said in a statement. He said retailers and e-tailers also seem more confident as new product designs and features better positioned price-wise are now generating higher sales and not only just interest. Promotional activities and vendors’ preparation for the back-to-school period further supported the market.

The level of inventory will have to be monitored closely as back-to-school sales progress during August and September.”

Ultraportables

In this context, Chromebooks continued to grow, but their impact is limited to several countries in Western Europe.

“Ultraportables continue to be a strong force. The market is continuing to fragment with a plethora of choices including variations in OS, form factor (hybrid, convertible, swivel) display size, and weight/thickness,” Stephanie Van Vactor, research analyst at ABI Research, said in a emailed statement.

He said the initial Chromebook adoption was slow due to consumer hesitation and questionable need, but Chromebooks have now managed to present themselves as a disruptive force and ABI Research expects the shipments to grow by 56 per cent year over year for the year 2014. “Chromebooks are gaining interest among consumers due to their low-price point, cloud services, and vertical market integration, especially among businesses and institutions,” Vactor said.

PC shipments in Western Europe have continued to benefit this quarter from ongoing renewals in the SMB space following the end of Windows XP support. Commercial demand remained strong as business confidence stemming from an improving macroeconomic outlook contributed to corporate renewals.

“The lack of investments in PC renewals during the past two years contributed to an aging installed base across the commercial market and, together with the end of Windows XP support, this generated large renewal needs,” said Maciej Gornicki, senior research analyst at IDC EMEA.