The PC market in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) increased by a healthy 7.5% in 2011 in volume and by 3.1% in value to nearly 25 million units valued at $16.64 billion, according to the latest data from market research and advisory company IDC. Two-thirds of the total units shipped were portable PCs, and IDC forecasts moderate double-digit year-on-year growth in the mobile PC market in 2012, while only single-digit growth is expected for the desktop PC market.
"An expected HDD shortage increased PC prices overall and shifted consumer demand to entry-level models in the last quarter of 2011. However, lively shipments at the end of the year allayed concerns about a market slowdown, and we believe that the CEE market will completely recover from the supply shock distortions by the end of 2012," says IDC Research Director Stefania Lorenz.
The top three vendors in the desktop category in 2011 were HP, Dell, and Lenovo, with only HP exceeding 10% share of the market and no other vendor reaching 5%. By contrast, the portable PC segment is much more concentrated, with the top players - ASUS, Acer, and HP - together accounting for 54% of the market.
Within the portable PC segment, IDC expects the market share of mini notebooks to decrease in 2012 as a result of market saturation, increasing price competition with traditional notebooks, and accelerating demand for slate PCs and media tablets. Ultra-light notebooks (or ultrabooks), which were introduced in the CEE market towards the end of 2011, will gradually create additional pressure on prices of traditional ultraportables.
"The declining proportion of desktop PCs over the past few years and a gradual shift toward notebooks in the CEE region is not only a matter of preference. It is also related to the longer replacement cycles that desktop PCs have compared to other IT hardware," says Zoltan Komaromi, project manager of CEE IT Buyer's Pulse. "In fact, the average replacement cycle for a desktop PC is 4.1 years, and a number of large enterprises replace desktops as infrequently as every 7 years or longer."
According to the recently published IDC survey IT Buyers' Pulse Report, it is not uncommon for organizations across all industries in CEE to use desktop PCs for the functionality of a server. In fact, two of every five servers in use in CEE were purchased as PCs. This trend is more apparent among small businesses, with PCs functioning as servers in 47% of companies with less than 10 employees.
About the research
IDC's Quarterly PC Tracker delivers timely intelligence and an inclusive database detailing changes and trends in the Central European PC market. The tracker enables users to view data by volume, value, country, year, quarter, vendor, brand, processor brand, and channel. It also includes easy-to-read summaries that analyze volume and value by form factor, vendor, and end-user segment.
The IDC IT Buyers' Pulse Report presents a comprehensive overview of IT strategies and execution plans and measures technology adoption levels in businesses and public institutions in CEE. The study is based on an unprecedentedly large and representative survey, with 1,660 organizations, both private and public, interviewed across nine CEE countries in the summer of 2011. For more details, visit www.itbuyerspulse.com
"An expected HDD shortage increased PC prices overall and shifted consumer demand to entry-level models in the last quarter of 2011. However, lively shipments at the end of the year allayed concerns about a market slowdown, and we believe that the CEE market will completely recover from the supply shock distortions by the end of 2012," says IDC Research Director Stefania Lorenz.
The top three vendors in the desktop category in 2011 were HP, Dell, and Lenovo, with only HP exceeding 10% share of the market and no other vendor reaching 5%. By contrast, the portable PC segment is much more concentrated, with the top players - ASUS, Acer, and HP - together accounting for 54% of the market.
Within the portable PC segment, IDC expects the market share of mini notebooks to decrease in 2012 as a result of market saturation, increasing price competition with traditional notebooks, and accelerating demand for slate PCs and media tablets. Ultra-light notebooks (or ultrabooks), which were introduced in the CEE market towards the end of 2011, will gradually create additional pressure on prices of traditional ultraportables.
"The declining proportion of desktop PCs over the past few years and a gradual shift toward notebooks in the CEE region is not only a matter of preference. It is also related to the longer replacement cycles that desktop PCs have compared to other IT hardware," says Zoltan Komaromi, project manager of CEE IT Buyer's Pulse. "In fact, the average replacement cycle for a desktop PC is 4.1 years, and a number of large enterprises replace desktops as infrequently as every 7 years or longer."
According to the recently published IDC survey IT Buyers' Pulse Report, it is not uncommon for organizations across all industries in CEE to use desktop PCs for the functionality of a server. In fact, two of every five servers in use in CEE were purchased as PCs. This trend is more apparent among small businesses, with PCs functioning as servers in 47% of companies with less than 10 employees.
About the research
IDC's Quarterly PC Tracker delivers timely intelligence and an inclusive database detailing changes and trends in the Central European PC market. The tracker enables users to view data by volume, value, country, year, quarter, vendor, brand, processor brand, and channel. It also includes easy-to-read summaries that analyze volume and value by form factor, vendor, and end-user segment.
The IDC IT Buyers' Pulse Report presents a comprehensive overview of IT strategies and execution plans and measures technology adoption levels in businesses and public institutions in CEE. The study is based on an unprecedentedly large and representative survey, with 1,660 organizations, both private and public, interviewed across nine CEE countries in the summer of 2011. For more details, visit www.itbuyerspulse.com
