The PC market in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa maintained positive trends in the back-to-school season, but growth softened from the strong double digits recorded in the first half of the year, latest official figures show.
EMEA PC shipments grew by 10.5% year on year in 3Q10, reaching a total of 27.8 million PCs during the quarter, with softer-than-expected growth in Western Europe, while demand across the CEE region again outpaced expectations and drove the region from a growth perspective.
After robust trends in 1H10, growth in Western Europe slowed to single-digits, with shipment levels recording a flat 0.5% growth year on year. The deceleration was directly impacted by weaker than expected mini notebook demand, which led to a 25% drop in shipment levels.
Demand for netbooks had already started to slow down in prior quarters, but the arrival of new media tablets contributed to shifting interest further away and accelerated the trend.
However, the market continued to benefit from sustained mainstream notebook renewals during the back-to-school season, albeit at a more moderate rate of 10.1%, constrained by high sell-in levels in the second quarter.
On the business front, some renewal activity contributed to support positive growth, but the bulk of renewals are still expected for 2011, while uncertainty also prompted many SMBs to be cautious, with many opting to wait till the end of their fiscal year before engaging on renewals.
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