DisplaySearch: Global notebook PC market grew 10 percent
While tablet PC shipments continue to fall, preliminary results from analysts at DisplaySearch claim that the global notebook PC market grew 10 percent year over year during the third quarter of this year.
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According to DisplaySearch Quarterly Mobile PC Shipment and Forecast Report the notebook shipments grew to 49.6 million units. Compare this to tablet PCs, which saw shipments slump by 8 percent. According to the report the driver of the growth are the developed regions of North America and Western Europe, which increased year-over-year shipments by more than 20 percent in the third quarter.
"The slump in tablet PC demand contributed to the growth in notebook PCs," said Hisakazu Torii, vice president of smart application research at DisplaySearch. "Back-to-school sales were quite good, and this growth was supported by low-priced, Windows-based notebook PCs and Chromebooks. Chromebook sales were especially strong in the United States, especially in the commercial and education markets, due to easier IT management and volume-discount offers."
It's also good news for Chromebooks, which are forecast to reach 5 percent (8 million units) of total global notebook PC shipments by the end of this year. But if 2015 demand reaches the 20 million units as planned by PC brands and OEMs then that share would rise to 12 percent.
"Early Black Friday newspaper advertisements show some Windows-based notebook PCs and Chromebooks priced under $200," Torii said.
The top five notebook PC brands collectively grew 23 percent in the third quarter of 2014, reaching 69 percent of total notebook units shipped.
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