PC shipments in W. Europe total 13.6m units in Q2 2012-- a 2.4% Y-o-Y decline according to Gartner, as all markets record "weak overall" shipments despite a "slight uptake" in mobile PCs.
Mobile PCs are the only growing market segment in the region (4% Y-o-Y) as desktops decline further by -12.8% Y-o-Y. The professional PC market drops by -5.3% Y-o-Y while consumer PCs remain virtually flat (0.4% Y-o-Y growth).
The three biggest W. European countries see either declines or remain flat in Q2 2012. Gartner describes the UK PC market as "very weak" (shipments total 2.5m units and decline by -7.6% Y-o-Y), French shipments grow slightly (0.7% Y-o-Y to 2.5m units) and Germany goes through an "interim quarter" (shipments total 2.6m with a -6.5% Y-o-Y decline).
We all know the reason for the drop in shipments by now-- consumer PC spending remains stalled due to ongoing economic uncertainty. The wait for Windows 8 doesn't help much, either.
Gartner predicts we will see "significant" price cuts during September 2012 due to old stock left in the channel ahead of the October Windows 8 launch. This could lead to challenges in selling new products into the channel in Q3 2012.
When it comes to vendors, HP remains on top despite a loss in Q2 2012 market share (20.2% compared to 22.7% in Q2 2011). Acer shows strong performance, with 15.3% Y-o-Y growth and 17.3% market share, thanks to an "excellent" product portfolio. Asus shows the best performance for the period (42.8% Y-o-Y growth), beating Dell (currently transforming from PC supplier to solution provider) to the 3rd place.
Go Gartner Says PC Market in W. Europe Decline 2.4% in Q2 2012
