A new report from IHS iSuppli says shipments of desktop computers and notebooks in the first quarter of 2011 have declined when compared to the same period in 2010. Worldwide PC shipments reached 81.3 million units in Q1 2011, down 0.3% from 81.6 million during the first quarter of 2010.
The top three PC makers all experienced a year-on-year drop in quarterly shipments, with HP down 2.1%, Dell down 1.8% and Acer down 20.4%. Conversely, fourth-placed Lenovo saw a 15.4% year-on-year increase, with fifth-place Toshiba also noting a growth in shipment numbers.
It followed the industry’s best-ever quarter for sales, with corporate demand driving PC shipments above 93 million units in the fourth quarter of 2010.
IHS iSuppli says the attention surrounding tablets contributed to weak consumer demand for PCs in the first quarter of 2011, although the extent of this cannibalisation is unclear.
However, it believes the global PC market in 2011 will expand by 8% to 373 million units, compared to 14% growth last year.