Gartner Says Business Segment Drives Worldwide PC Shipments to 13 Percent Growth in First Quarter of 2004
STAMFORD, Conn., April 15, 2004 — PC vendors received a boost in sales in the first quarter of 2004 as businesses increased system purchases. Driven by the business segment, worldwide PC shipments totaled 45.3 million units in the first quarter of 2004, a 13.4 percent increase from the same period last year, according to Gartner, Inc.
"The business segment was supported by increased PC replacement activity, as business confidence improved in most regions," said Charles Smulders, vice president of Gartner's Computing Platforms Worldwide group. "Our forecast model shows strong PC replacement demand throughout 2004."
The top 5 vendors, all of whom experienced double-digit growth, propelled the worldwide PC industry's growth. Dell returned to the No. 1 position based on shipments (see Table 1), as it showed solid growth across all regions. Dell's overseas expansion continued with overseas sales exceeding 40 percent of Dell's total shipments for the first time.
Table 1
Preliminary Worldwide PC Vendor Unit Shipment Estimates for 1Q04
(Thousands of Units)
Company
1Q04 Shipments
1Q04 Market Share (%)
1Q03 Shipments
1Q03 Market Share (%)
1Q03-1Q04 Growth (%)
Dell
7,493
16.5
5,825
14.6
28.6
Hewlett-Packard
6,334
14.0
5,441
13.6
16.4
IBM
2,243
4.9
1,866
4.7
20.2
Fujitsu/Fujitsu Siemens
1,834
4.0
1,626
4.1
12.8
Acer
1,384
3.1
1,022
2.6
35.4
Others
26,026
57.4
24,174
60.5
7.7
Total
45,314
100.0
39,953
100.0
13.4
Note: Data includes desk-based PCs, mobile PCs and IA-32 servers.
Source: Gartner Dataquest (April 2004)
Hewlett-Packard had slower growth than the past few quarters, as the company suffered an inventory surplus in the U.S. retail market in the early part of the first quarter. Gartner analysts said HP scaled back orders in February and reduced inventory to more normal levels by the close of the quarter.
In the United States, the professional market showed increased sales in the quarter. However, this was offset by weaker sales in the U.S. retail market. U.S. PC shipments grew 11.6 percent in the first quarter of 2004 (see Table 2) as Dell's market share surpassed 30 percent.
Table 2
Preliminary U.S. PC Vendor Unit Shipment Estimates for 1Q04
(Thousands of Units)
Company
1Q04 Shipments
1Q04 Market Share (%)
1Q03 Shipments
1Q03 Market Share (%)
1Q03-1Q04 Growth (%)
Dell
4,489
30.3
3,634
27.4
23.5
Hewlett-Packard
2,544
17.2
2,274
17.1
11.9
IBM
606
4.1
568
4.3
6.7
eMachines
479
3.2
364
2.7
31.5
Gateway
405
2.7
489
3.7
-17.2
Others
6,274
42.4
5,932
44.7
5.8
Total
14,797
100.0
13,262
100.0
11.6
Note: Data includes desk-based PCs, mobile PCs and IA-32 servers.
Source: Gartner Dataquest (April 2004)
All regions experienced an increase in PC shipments in the first quarter of 2004. The growth rates ranged from 17 percent PC shipment growth in Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) to nearly 6 percent growth in Japan.
These results are preliminary. Final statistics will be available soon to clients of Gartner's PC Quarterly Statistics Worldwide by Region program. This program offers a comprehensive and timely picture of the worldwide PC market, allowing product planning, distribution, marketing and sales organizations to keep abreast of key issues and their future implications around the globe. To subscribe to this program, please call 408-468-8000. Additional research can be found on Gartner's Client Platforms Focus Area on Gartner's Web site.
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