Digital Lifescapes

As more people around the globe discover that they don't need a personal computer (PC) to participate in the Global Networked Economy, the market for smartphones and phablets has satisfied the demand for internet access and web browsing. This is now the pervasive trend worldwide. Besides, the ongoing adoption of Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) apps meant that mainstream users learned what has become common knowledge -- just about anything you need to accomplish can be done in the cloud. The impact of this disruptive trend on traditional PC manufacturers has been devastating. "The global PC market had a bad start to 2016 and it is difficult to see any bright spots for vendors in the coming quarters. The tablet boom has faded in the distance and the market is fully mature. Global shipments declines are expected to continue unless vendors bring some remarkable new innovation to the market," said Tim Coulling, senior analyst at Canalys . Market Declines Dominate the PC Lan...

The Personal Computer (PC) market has been very volatile for several years. Meanwhile, each new year an industry analyst predicts a small recovery, but the forecast results fail to materialize. We've seen this cycle of refutal over and over again. Case in point: worldwide PC shipments totaled 71.9 million units in the fourth quarter of 2015 (4Q15), reaching a year-on-year decline of -10.6 percent, according to the latest market study by International Data Corporation (IDC ). Although total shipments were similar to analyst expectations, 2015 still ended as the first year below 300 million units since 2008. The holiday quarter achieved a small boost compared to the prior quarter, but the year-on-year decline in 2015 shipments was the largest in history -- surpassing the decline of -9.8 percent in 2013. The PC market continued to face persistent challenges from longer-PC lifecycles and competition from mobile phones and media tablets, despite the slowing growth in those markets...

The mobile communication subscriber landscape continues to shift and evolve as more markets reach saturation point across the globe. Most vendors have adjusted their product lines to incorporate low-cost mobile phone models that appeal to consumers in emerging nations, but a few still prefer to rely on the perception that their devices are worth a premium price. However, over time, these vendors must innovate to deliver greater value, and thereby maintain their profit margins. Brand cachet is very subjective -- even the most committed fans have their limits. Ultimately, everything is subject to change, including gadget fandom. According to the latest market study by International Data Corporation (IDC), vendors shipped a total of 337.2 million smartphones worldwide in the second quarter of 2015 (2Q15) -- that's up 11.6 percent from the 302.1 million units in 2Q14. Following an above average first quarter (1Q15), smartphone shipments were still able to remain slightly above th...

The personal computing market continues to evolve as new device demand shifts to reflect the ongoing changes in vendor pricing strategy. Case in point: worldwide media tablet shipments fell 12 percent year-on-year to 67 million units in Q4 2014, according to the latest market study by Canalys. The desktop computer market fell back into a decline in the fourth quarter, as demand for Microsoft Windows XP upgrades decreased. Moreover, the notebook PC market held firm with another quarter of just 1 percent growth. Clearly, the overall personal computing market has been somewhat volatile. Given the current market outlook, that's unlikely to change in the foreseeable future. Total PC shipments (desktops, notebooks and tablets) fell by 6 percent in Q4 to reach 148 million units, resulting in full-year 2014 shipments of 528 million units, that's up by just 3 percent on 2013. Apple regained the top spot in the PC market on the strength of holiday sales, with just under 27 millio...

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,...

According to the latest global market study by Juniper Research , smartphone shipments reached 316.6 million in the third quarter (Q3) of 2014, representing 13.1 percent y-o-y growth and 5.5 percent q-o-q growth. The biggest gainers of market share this quarter are those capitalizing on expanding Asian markets -- such as Xiaomi, the Chinese ODM. The company sold 19 million new devices in Q3 -- that's a 25.8 percent increase in sales on last quarter. Combined Lenovo-Motorola shipments are estimated to be in excess of 23 million devices this quarter, with Motorola on-track to return to profitability in Lenovo's target of 4 to 6 quarters. Lenovo is now well-positioned to expand into India and other Southeast Asian markets, where the Android-based Moto X and Moto G have a large consumer base, as well as a positive brand presence in the U.S. market. Apple experienced strong growth following the iPhone 6 launch, posting its highest ever Q3 results, representing a 16.2 percent...

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...

Apple and Samsung have led the market substantially since the inception of media tablets. However, the race for third place is still undecided and competition is heating up between Lenovo, Amazon, ASUS, and other emerging vendors. The aggressive nature of the media tablet market and substantial increase in emerging vendors has created a stall for leaders in the market giving PC OEMs the opportunity to close the gap between leaders and followers. According to the latest market study by ABI Research, emerging vendors are forecast to experience a CAGR of 22.8 percent between 2014 and 2019. With third place up for grabs, Lenovo is working to gain ground in the market, and in 2019 is expected to ship 21 million tablets, attaining 7.3 percent of the overall market. This forecast momentum and growth would land Lenovo solidly in third place. During 2013, the tablet market exploded with new devices that overwhelmed consumers with a multitude of choices. Leading tablet vendors quickly do...

The worldwide smartphone market grew 23.1 percent year over year in the second quarter of 2014 (2Q14), establishing a new single quarter record of 295.3 million shipments, according to the latest market study by International Data Corporation (IDC). Following a very strong first quarter, the market grew 2.6 percent sequentially, fueled by ongoing demand for mobile internet access and an abundance of lower-cost smartphones. Second quarter shipments were in line with IDC's forecast and all expectations are that the market will continue apace in the second half of the year -- surpassing 300 million units for the first time ever in a single quarter in 3Q14. "A record second quarter proves that the smartphone market still has plenty of opportunity and momentum," said Ryan Reith, program director at IDC . Despite a challenging quarter for Samsung, and to a lesser extent Apple, the strong market demand boosted results for most smartphone vendors. Emerging markets, suppor...

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...

China is now a significant market opportunity for new connected consumer electronic devices, as more people adopt mobile internet access. Local Chinese vendors are lining up to deliver smartphones and media tablets specifically targeted at the needs and wants of this growing user population. Coolpad, Lenovo, and Xiaomi have something special in common -- all were able to beat Apple in the battle for China’s second quarter (Q2) 2013 smartphone market leadership. While Samsung retained its leading smartphone market share of 17 percent, Lenovo took second place with 13 percent, Coolpad was third with 10 percent, and Xiaomi edged out Apple with 6.5 percent share, according to the latest market study by ABI Research. "Even though these OEMs are only selling into the Chinese market, the size of the market has allowed them to achieve shipment volumes that place these OEMs in the top 12 globally," says Michael Morgan, senior analyst at ABI Research . It is not hard to imagin...

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...

In a crowded market of too many media tablet devices to choose from, where do you go to find the best value? To discover the answer, nineteen of the world’s leading media tablet vendors went head-to-head in the latest vendor matrix from market intelligence firm ABI Research. This matrix ranked companies on several criteria related to both product Implementation and vendor Innovation. The overall current leader in this tablet Competitive Assessment was Samsung Electronics. The Korean-based computing and consumer electronics conglomerate bested all other tablet vendors in the Innovation category while scoring second overall in the Implementation category. Clearly king of the hill when it comes to tablet shipment volumes, Apple trailed Samsung on tablet Innovation landing in second. The two leading makers have continued to distance themselves from other tablet vendors, reflected visually in the results grouping of vendors for this assessment. In third place, overall, for the vendo...

Media tablets may have reached market saturation in several markets -- particularly those made by Apple. Worldwide tablet shipment growth has slowed in the second quarter of 2013 (2Q13), according to the latest market study by International Data Corporation (IDC). Worldwide tablet shipments finally experienced a sequential decline as total volumes fell -9.7 percent from 1Q13. However, the 45.1 million units shipped in the second quarter was up 59.6 percent from the same quarter in 2012, when tablet vendors shipped 28.3 million devices. Lacking a new product launch in March to help spur shipments, Apple's iPad saw a lower-than-predicted shipment total of 14.6 million units for the quarter -- that's down from 19.5 million in 1Q13. In years past, Apple has launched a new tablet heading into the second quarter, which resulted in strong quarter-over-quarter growth. Now, Apple is expected to launch new tablet products in the second half of the year, a move that better positions...

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...