IT buyers shun new PCs as sales slump

Mini-notebook cavalry saves PC sales figures

Sales of PCs fell markedly in the first three months of 2009, according to the latest analyst figures.

Gartner reported that PC sales in the first quarter of 2009 were down 6.5 per cent on the same period a year earlier.

Rival IDC said worldwide PC sales slumped by 7.1 per cent in that time – although this was less than the 8.2 per cent decline it had expected.

In Europe, the Middle East and Africa, year-on-year sales fell for the first time since 2001.

"Tight credit and economic concerns have certainly taken a toll on PC shipments in the past couple of quarters, but the move to portables, fuelled by mini notebooks and falling prices, has mitigated the impact," said IDC's worldwide quarterly PC tracker programme director, Loren Loverde.

Meanwhile, Gartner research director George Shiffer said there was "some evidence of channel inventory restocking, particularly in the US".

But it is not clear whether this reflects low inventory levels or genuine end-user demand. "It is still unclear if the global PC market has hit the bottom," he added.

HP extended its global leadership in the PC market with 19.8 per cent of shipments in the first quarter of 2009, according to IDC. While Dell clung on to second spot, in terms of market share, its sales fell by almost 17 per cent.