Gartner reports EMEA PC shipments total 28.9M units in Q4 2011-- a -9.6% Y-o-Y decline, the fourth consecutive quarter of decline for the region.
As a result, Gartner estimates year-end 2011 EMEA PC shipments will be down by 7.2% from 2010, as a continually uncertain economic environment squeezes spending on PCs.
On a global basis, both consumer and professional PC markets remain weak in mature markets such as W. Europe, resulting in overall negative growth. Gartner reports WW Q4 2011 PC shipments decline by -1.4% Y-o-Y to reach 92.2M units.
The HDD shortages caused by the October 2011 Thailand floodings had "limited impact" on Q4 2011 shipments and prices-- but Gartner warns we should feel a "major impact" on H1 2012 as HDD shortages will temporarily lower 2012 PC shipment growth.
Ultrabooks failed to draw consumers' attention following their quiet Q4 launch, as only "a small group" of potential customers understands the "ultrabook" concept and is willing to pay the premium for such models.
When it comes to vendors, HP remains top WW PC vendor in Q4 2011, despite -16.2% Y-o-Y shipment declines due to confusion regarding the company's position on the PC business (following the Great Garage Sale), not to mention aggressive pricing competition and weak PC demand throughout the holiday season.
Lenovo comes 2nd, with the strongest growth among the top 5 PC vendors-- Q4 Lenovo shipments show 23% Y-o-Y growth according to Gartner, thanks to aggressive pricing in both professional and consumer markets.
Dell follows with 7.8% Y-o-Y growth and shipments reaching 11.6M units for Q4 2011 due to stable growth in the professional market (growth Gartner attributes to the migration towards Windows 7). Acer comes 4th (with a -18.4% Y-o-Y decline) and Asus remains 5th, even if a successful move from mini-notebooks to regular notebooks resulted in 20.5% Y-o-Y growth and shipments reaching 6.2M units.
Gartner says WW 2011 PC shipments total 352.8M units-- a slight 0.5% increase over 2010. While professional market growth was "good," the consumer market remains weak, particularly in mature markets.
