Digital Lifescapes

Public cloud computing continues to impact all other forms of IT spending. Few enterprise CIOs and IT managers will increase spending on traditional data center servers, while many plan to increase their spending on converged infrastructure, according to the latest market study by 451 Research. Moreover, those organizations that have the skilled technical staff are starting to make the switch to lower-cost open hyperscale infrastructure for the compelling economic advantages. This recent market study also shows that nearly 17 percent of survey respondents are 'very likely' to switch vendors over the next 90 days. "Commoditization of x86 systems is catalyzing competition as decision-makers increasingly consider alternatives, including white-box (unbranded) servers. A growing opportunity exists for those vendors that can position their offerings to address key customer needs," said Nikolay Yamakawa, senior analyst at 451 Research . Fifty-two percent of 'Stand...

Smaller declines in personal computer sales around the globe are a welcomed change. Worldwide PC shipments totaled 80.8 million units in the fourth quarter of 2014 (4Q14), that's a year-on-year decline of -2.4 percent, according to the latest market study by International Data Corporation (IDC). Total shipments were slightly above expectations of -4.8 percent growth, but the market still contracted both year on year and in comparison to the third quarter. IDC reports that although the holiday quarter saw shipment volume inch above 80 million for the first time in 2014, the final quarter nonetheless marked the end of yet another difficult year -- it was the third consecutive year with overall volumes declining. On an annual basis, 2014 shipments totaled 308.6 million units, that's down by -2.1 percent from the prior year. Besides, the forward-looking trend doesn't indicate any meaningful improvements. Although the U.S. and Europe remained stronger than other markets,...

Once PC vendors let go of their great (unfounded) hope that high-cost Ultrabooks would deliver a huge windfall in sales, then they were able to focus more on the real demand for low-cost notebook PCs and Chromebooks in the marketplace. Worldwide PC shipments totaled 78.5 million units in the third quarter of 2014 (3Q14) -- that's a year-on-year decline of -1.7 percent and a sizable improvement over the forecast of -4.1 percent, according to the latest market study by International Data Corporation (IDC). Many of the trends from the second quarter remained relevant and contributed to the 3Q14 results. Commercial PC purchases played a key role in many markets, with the top three vendors -- Lenovo, HP, and Dell -- all showing solid year-on-year growth. Conversely, fierce competition and a spiral toward tablet-like prices helped to further consolidate the market. Shipments of entry systems, including Chromebooks, continued to inject an important source of volume and sustained imp...

Low-cost mobile devices, cloud computing and open-source software continue to reshape the Technology, Media and Telecommunication ( TMT ) sectors of the global economy. The impact from the transformation is far reaching, as growth stalls in some of the more traditional product and service categories. A case in point; worldwide personal computer (PC) shipments totaled 73.4 million units in the first quarter of 2014 (1Q14) -- that's a decline of -4.4 percent year-on-year, according to the latest market study by International Data Corporation (IDC). Although still in a downward spiral -- and with continuing weakness in consumer and emerging market segments -- the preliminary results are actually slightly better than a projected decline of -5.3 percent. Similar to the latter part of 2013, the upside in the first quarter arose primarily from demand in mature commercial markets. Commercial refresh projects, which had already been protracted, received a last push from the impending ...

Global personal computer sales continue to be weak in a marketplace that favors other devices -- such as smartphones and media tablets. Worldwide PC shipments totaled 76.6 million units in the first quarter of 2014 -- that's a 1.7 percent decline from the first quarter of 2013, according to the latest market study by Gartner. "The end of XP support by Microsoft on April 8 has played a role in the easing decline of PC shipments," said Mikako Kitagawa, principal analyst at Gartner . Among key countries, Japan was greatly affected by the end of XP support, registering a 35 percent year-over-year increase in PC shipments. The growth was also boosted by sales tax change. The PC market continued to be tough for many vendors. Economies of scale matter tremendously in this high-volume, low-profit market, which is forcing some vendors -- such as Sony -- out of the market. Lenovo experienced the strongest growth among the top five vendors. Its shipments grew 10.9 percent, a...

The leading vendors of personal computers would much rather put the trials and tribulations of last year behind them, but the industry analysts won't let them. Worldwide PC shipments totaled 82.2 million units in the fourth quarter of 2013 (4Q13), representing a year-on-year contraction of -5.6 percent, according to the latest market study by International Data Corporation (IDC). For the full year 2013, unit shipments declined -10.0 percent from 2012 -- that's a record drop reflecting the changes in mobility and personal computing affecting the mature PC market. While commercial purchases helped to prevent a larger decline, the consumer side remained weak. "The PC market again came in very close to expectations, but unfortunately failed to significantly change the trajectory of growth," said Loren Loverde, vice president at IDC . Total shipments have now declined for seven consecutive quarters, and even the 2013 holiday shopping season was unable to inspire a ...

Media tablets have already been adopted by millions of new users during the course of this year. Worldwide tablet shipments are expected to reach 221.3 million units by the end of 2013, that's down slightly from a previous forecast of 227.4 million but still 53.5 percent above 2012 levels, according to the latest market study by International Data Corporation (IDC). However, new growth will slow in the coming years, as some key markets approach the saturation point. Shipment growth is forecast at 22.2 percent year-over-year in 2014, for a total of 270.5 million units. By 2017, annual market growth will slow to single-digit percentages and shipments will peak at 386.3 million units, that's down from the previous forecast of 407 million units. One key factor to watch is the mix of small vs. large media tablet sales. The market has trended toward small tablets over the last 24 months, but the rise of large smartphones could attract people back toward larger tablets as the diff...

When Dell recently announced a low-priced chromebook -- based on Google's Chrome OS -- it became the last major Windows PC maker to embrace the cloudbook phenomenon. Like the stubborn CIO that resisted the cloud computing trend but eventually faced up to the market reality, Dell has finally accepted what others knew to be true -- the glory days of the high-priced PC era are over. Worldwide personal computer (PC) shipments are expected to fall by -10.1 percent by the end of 2013, slightly below the previous projection of -9.7 percent. That's, by far, the most severe yearly market contraction on record, according to the latest market study by International Data Corporation (IDC). Interest in PCs has remained limited, leading to little indication of positive growth beyond replacement of existing systems. Total shipments are expected to decline by an additional -3.8 percent in 2014 before turning slightly positive in the longer term. At these rates, total PC shipments will re...

Personal computer shipments across the globe totaled 81.6 million units in the third quarter of 2013 (3Q13). Compared with last year, the market contracted -7.6% -- slightly better than the projected decline of -9.5% for the quarter, according to the latest market study by International Data Corporation (IDC). While shipments remained weak during the early part of the quarter, the market was somewhat buoyed by business purchases of PCs, as well as channel intake of Windows 8.1-based systems during September. A slight uptick in business volume contributed to shipments. The top three vendors (Lenovo, HP, and Dell) -- which all have an important presence in the enterprise and public sectors -- each saw modest positive year-on-year growth during the quarter. Conversely, consumer sentiment for PC purchases remained tepid, as evidenced by the continued struggles of vendors such as Acer and ASUS. Despite some encouraging developments in the business space, emerging markets continued t...

Waiting for the personal computer (PC) market to recover now seems pointless. Worldwide PC shipments are expected to fall by -9.7 percent in 2013, further deepening what is already the longest market contraction on record, according to the International Data Corporation (IDC). The new forecast reflects not only a continued expansion of mobile device options at the expense of PCs, but also marked the cessation of emerging market growth that the industry had come to rely on in recent years. The market as a whole is expected to decline through at least 2014, with only single-digit modest growth from 2015 onward. It's now believed that the PC market will never regain the peak volumes last seen in 2011. While the results of the second quarter were in line with forecast, a number of issues led IDC to further downgrade its PC outlook. Aside from stubbornly depressed consumer interest, 2013 also marks the first year where emerging regions are expected to contract at a steeper rate th...

Worldwide PC shipments totaled 75.6 million units in the second quarter of 2013 (2Q13) -- that's down -11.4% compared to the same quarter in 2012, according to the latest market study by International Data Corporation (IDC). Total global shipments were effectively right on forecast, although Europe, Middle East, and Africa (EMEA) and Asia/Pacific (excluding Japan)(APeJ) were a few points below expectations with the difference made up in the United States. The recent performance reflect a market that is still struggling with the transition to touch-based systems running the Windows 8 OS -- as well as justifying Ultrabook very high prices in the face of economic pressures and competition from low-price media tablets. PC vendors seemed to be focused on inventory reduction during the second quarter, which could reflect planned launches of new models -- as well as plans to reduce any remaining unsold inventory going into the second half of the year. However, it also suggests som...

The key technology trend that has created huge challenges for major vendors -- such as HP and Dell -- shows no sign of changing direction. Worldwide personal computer (PC) shipments are now expected to fall by -7.8% in 2013, according to the latest market study by International Data Corporation (IDC). The new forecast reflects a shift in PC buying trends as users increasingly consider alternatives such as delaying a PC purchase or using tablets and smartphones for more of their computing needs. In place of a limited decline of -1.3% in 2013 followed by a gradual increase in volume, the new outlook calls for a more substantial decline of -7.8% in 2013 and -1.2% in 2014 with shipment volume reaching only 333 million in 2017. To put this into perspective with the past experience, that forecast is still below the 349 million shipped in 2012 and a peak of more than 363 million shipped in 2011. The updated forecast reflects the significant drop in volume during the first quarter of 2...

The missed opportunities for incumbent traditional PC manufacturers, such as HP and Dell, to participate in the media tablet phenomenon has already raised doubts about their future growth potential. Moreover, the current slow adoption of Ultrabooks may erode the influence of legacy PC component providers, such as Intel. Clearly, the future belongs to those agile industry leaders who saw this demand shift coming and invested wisely in new product development. Strategic foresight will separate the winners from the losers, as this PC market transition plays out in the coming weeks and months. ​The April to June quarter of 2012 set a new record for media tablet shipments reaching nearly 25 million units -- with total shipments growing 36 percent quarter-over-quarter (QoQ) and 77 percent year-over-year (YoY). Apple iPad shipments represented nearly 69 percent of worldwide volumes for the period, according to the latest preliminary global market assessment of vendor share by ABI Resear...

From a virtual standing start of just 10 million units in 2008, shipments of ultra-mobile devices (UMD) -- the umbrella term for ultra-mobile PCs, netbooks and mobile Internet devices -- are expected to exceed 200 million in 2013. According to ABI Research principal analyst Philip Solis, "The UMD market will still be small compared to the wireless handset market, but with a forecast revenue of nearly $27 billion in 2013, it will certainly be significant." While netbooks account for about 90 percent of today's UMD market, they will fall to a distant second place by 2013, while Mobile Internet Device (MID) shipments surge ahead to take nearly 68 percent of the market, with Ultra-mobile PCs (UMPCs) remaining a niche category. To put the UMD market forecasts into perspective, the 2013 estimate of 200 million shipped devices is roughly the anticipated size of the worldwide laptop PC market. "As this market enters its rapid growth phase and starts to evolve," Solis co...