International Data Corporation(IDC) via its Quarterly Smart Connected Device Tracker reported that Samsung and Apple continue to lead the smart connected device market for Western Europe. The report tracks the shipment of personal computers, tablets and smartphones. According to IDC, based on the shipments recorded during the third quarter of 2014, Samsung continued its top position in the smartphones segment, Apple in tablets and HP in personal computers. In total, the shipments of these connected devices reached 60.1 million units for the 3rd quarter of 2014, increasing 8.6% compared to the same period last year.
In terms of the individual segments, personal computers saw an increase of 23.6% for the 3rd quarter of 2014 while smartphones posted a growth of 6.1%. Tablets, however, saw a decline although 2-in-1s picked up and posted a 46.4% growth, said IDC. The rise in the purchases of personal computers in this market, said IDC, is attributable to the availablity of low-end portable PCs and the increasing consumer demand during the back-to-school season and purchases made in the run up for Christmas. The increased take-up on smartphones on the other hand was boosted by the entry of more affordable smartphones into the market and the growing coverage of 4G that saw more people upgrading their devices to 4G compatible devices. The tablet market however reached a plateau, said IDC, with small tablets losing some market to both phablets and competitively priced portable PCs with MS Windows 8.1 with Bing. At the same time, the period saw smartphone prices declining by 5.5% to US$433. IDC expects the prices to drop further to reach around US$320 by 2018.
Maciek Gornicki, senior research analyst, IDC EMEA Personal Computing
PC shipments in Western Europe posted another strong quarter. After a few years of delayed renewals, consumers started to refresh their PCs again, encouraged by lower price points and attractive products offered by vendors. Shipments were also boosted by sell-in of low-end notebooks with Windows 8.1 Bing version, which are expected to drive volume during the Christmas season. On the other hand, demand started to wane in the commercial market after several quarters of strong renewals induced by the end of Windows XP support.
