International Data Corporation (IDC) has revealed that PC shipments in Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA) totalled 17.9 million units in the third quarter of 2016, showing a 3.3 percent decline from the previous quarter.
The group however, linked the drop in EMEA PC shipments in Q3 to continued effects of uncertainties, such as exchange rate fluctuations, currency weaknesses, and political instabilities including Brexit talks.
Despite these challenges, commercial notebook shipments remained strong, growing 5.6% in EMEA compared with 2015Q3, and Notebook shipments increased by 0.7%, supported by interest in new thin and light solutions from Western European enterprises and by political stabilization in the Middle East and Africa, says IDC.
Display of different PCs Technology Times photo file shows different computers on display
However, consumer notebooks decreased 2.6% in the region. IDC says the planned increase of panel prices for notebooks before the end of 2016 drove notebook orders up earlier for year-end business.
Andrea Minonne, research analyst, IDC EMEA Personal Computing, comments on the decrease: “The PC market continued to be differentiated in EMEA, with only one common trend: a decline in desktops. Although desktops registered again negative results and demand was low across EMEA, notebooks performed differently across all sub-regions.”
Malini Paul, senior research analyst, IDC EMEA Personal Computing noted that “While anticipation of hikes in panel prices drove vendors to stock up large PC volumes, a usual large back-to-school volumes contributed to strong seasonality in the commercial space.”
