The global PC market grew for the first time in six years in the second quarter of this year, driven by upgrades in the business segment, a market tracker said on Thursday.
Research firm Gartner Inc reported that worldwide PC shipments rose 1.4 percent in the past quarter to 62.1 million units, but said it remains unclear if the sector is seeing a sustainable recovery.
PC sales have been sluggish as many consumers turn to mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets, holding onto their bulkier devices for longer.
Gartner said much of the growth appears to be from businesses upgrading their PCs to Windows 10.
“PC shipment growth in the second quarter of 2018 was driven by demand in the business market, which was offset by declining shipments in the consumer segment,” Gartner analyst Mikako Kitagawa said. “In the consumer space, the fundamental market structure, due to changes on PC user behavior, still remains, and continues to impact market growth. Consumers are using their smartphones for even more daily tasks, such as checking social media, calendaring, banking and shopping, which is reducing the need for a consumer PC.”
The analyst said the PC market might falter in the next two years when the replacement peak for Windows 10 passes.
The report said China’s Lenovo Group Ltd (聯想) and US-based HP Inc were in a virtual tie for the No. 1 spot in the PC market, each with a 21.9 percent share, followed by Dell Inc with 16.8 percent and Apple Inc with 7.1 percent.
Meanwhile, another study published on Thursday by market intelligence firm International Data Corp (IDC) also reported market growth.
The number of desktop, notebook and workstation computers sold in the second quarter reached 62.3 million units — up 2.7 percent year-on-year, IDC said.
That exceeded the firm’s forecast of just 0.3 percent growth.
The gain is the most significant since the first quarter of 2012, which saw a rise of 4.2 percent, the firm said.
In related news, Apple on Thursday released an upgraded MacBook Pro line that is faster and has more features, targeting its loyal base of professional users such as app developers and movie editors.
The new laptops, which come in the same 13-inch and 15-inch sizes as last year’s models, include pro-focused upgrades such as additional memory and storage, the ability to compile code faster, brighter screens and quieter keyboards that users have often requested since the latest MacBook Pro design was announced in 2016.
Apple says the smaller MacBook Pro starts at US$1,799 and the larger model at US$2,399.
Additional reporting by Bloomberg
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