IDC
Latest
PC shipments faced their steepest-ever drop in 2013
We hate to say it, but the era of near-constant PC industry growth might be over. IDC estimates that computer shipments fell by 9.8 percent in 2013, representing the steepest drop ever recorded. There just isn't much momentum in developing markets like China or Latin America, according to researchers. Sluggish economies and the shift toward mobile devices have cooled demand that was once red-hot. More established regions fared slightly better, although they may have been helped by a rush of users upgrading from Windows XP in the fourth quarter. IDC expects a partial recovery in the long run, but it believes that shipments have largely flattened out. If that's the case, PC vendors face much fiercer competition than they have in the past -- they may have to resort to extra-low prices and other extreme measures to keep buyers interested.
IDC: Samsung dominated Greater China smartphone shipments again in Q4 2013
According to the latest IDC figures provided to Engadget, Samsung continued to perform well in Greater China -- as in mainland China and Taiwan combined -- in terms of smartphone shipments. In mainland China last quarter, the Korean giant topped the chart with a 19 percent market share, followed by Lenovo at 13 percent and Coolpad at 11 percent. IDC's Senior Research Manager Melissa Chau pointed out that compared to a year ago, the top three vendors remained in the same positions, but ZTE has since slipped from fourth place to out of top five, thus letting Huawei and Apple move up one place. Chau added that Apple's shipment was also boosted by the full rollout of the iPhone 5s and 5c to its other channels in China since late Q3. While Xiaomi is nowhere to be seen in mainland China's top five, it's managed to nab 3 percent of the Taiwanese market to secure fifth place last quarter. This is no doubt thanks to the recent launch of the Redmi, aka Hongmi, budget phone there, with help from local carrier Far EasTone. But Chau cautioned that it's still early days for Xiaomi, for it "just barely edged out LG" in Taiwan, plus it's a long way behind HTC in fourth place. What's more worrying is that Acer isn't even in the top six in its hometown, which is just one of the many signs showing how it desperately needed the restructuring. With the full rollout of TD-LTE plus Lenovo bringing Motorola back into mainland China, it'll be interesting to see how the landscape changes again a year from now. Update: The Taiwan pie chart has been updated to rectify an error in the "Others" segment.
China sees rare drop in smartphone shipments as its market matures
We tend to see China as a hotbed of smartphone growth, but we're going to have to rethink that belief in light of new figures from IDC. The analyst firm estimates that smartphone shipments to the country dropped from 94.8 million in the third quarter of last year to 90.8 million in the fourth -- the first time demand has fallen since mid-2011. Researchers blame the dip on a mix of factors, including the last-minute launch of China Mobile's LTE network (in mid-December), lower device subsidies and customers who opted for tablets instead. However, the analysts primarily believe that the market has matured; phone makers have mostly courted first-time buyers for the past few years, but they now have to justify more upgrades among existing users. IDC is still optimistic that the Chinese market will grow rapidly in 2014, but it's evident that companies can no longer take that relentless pace for granted.
Smartphone sales may have topped 1 billion in 2013, depending on who you ask
You once had to look to the broader cellphone market to see more than a billion phones ship in one year. Well, times have changed... at least, if you ask the right analysts. IDC now estimates that smartphone shipments topped one billion for the first time in 2013. However, Strategy Analytics begs to differ -- it reckons that shipments fell just short, at 990 million. Whether or not the industry hit its symbolic milestone, the roughly 40 percent increase over 2012 data shows that the smartphone market had plenty of room to grow last year. Samsung led the pack with 31.3 percent of the the market, while Apple dipped to 15.3 percent as both Samsung and Chinese manufacturers (including Huawei and Lenovo) chipped away at its second-place position. As for what happened in the fourth quarter? Both analyst groups say that Samsung was once again the top vendor, although they note that the Korean firm's share was largely flat at 29 percent. Not that Apple fared any better, as its record-setting iPhone shipments weren't enough to prevent a slide to 18 percent share. Huawei, LG and Lenovo were the real victors -- each of them typically gained a point or more of share in the past year. IDC chalks some of this up to the rise of very low-cost smartphones, which are quickly taking over developing markets like China and India. Companies which focus on more expensive handsets, such as Apple and Samsung, have the most to lose in these areas.
Daily Update for January 10, 2014
It's the TUAW Daily Update, your source for Apple news in a convenient audio format. You'll get some of the top Apple stories of the day in three to five minutes for a quick review of what's happening in the Apple world. You can listen to today's Apple stories by clicking the player at the top of the page. The Daily Update has been moved to a new podcast host in the past few days. Current listeners should delete the old podcast subscription and subscribe to the new feed in the iTunes Store here.
Gartner: PC shipments have dropped 6.9 percent in Q4 2013, emerging markets to blame
Those tumbling PC shipments we've seen all year? They add up to a 6.9 percent year-over-year drop compared to 2012's Q4 numbers, according to Gartner. The group's latest totals puts PC shipments at 82.6 million units for Q4 2013, with the lions share coming from HP and Lenovo - though only the latter managed to grow its business during that period. Dell came in at a distant third, moving 4 million fewer machines than HP while maintaing a 6.2 percent increases in shipments since Q4 2012. The news seems grim for all but a select free companies, but at least it won't get any worse: Gartner says that most markets have bottomed out, and the losses mostly come from emerging Asia/Pacific markets where consumers first computing devices are typically smartphones and tablets, not traditional PCs. Despite predictions that the US market has reached its lowest point, analysts note that holiday sales were primarily dominated by tablets and mobile devices, though optimistically note that hybrid devices and lower cost notebooks could spur some growth in 2014. Eager to dive into all the nitty gritty numbers? Hit the source link below for Gartner's full report.
Huawei had a pretty good 2013, wants to ship 80 million smartphones this year
At Huawei's CES press conference, executive VP Colin Giles reminisced on 2013, when the company truly embarked on moving from an ODM to a consumer-facing OEM. By the end of the year, 95% of all handsets left its factories with the Huawei branding attached, and in Q4 2013, smartphone shipments topped 17.5 million. In the previous quarter, the Chinese phone-crafter jumped into the top three manufacturers worldwide, according to various analysts. Despite all the company's success and rapid growth, there's no intention to slow down -- Giles wrapped things up by setting Huawei's sales targets for 2014, and no less than 80 million devices will do.
IDC: 21 percent of smartphones shipped in Q3 were big-screened behemoths
Supersized smartphones have been increasing in popularity for quite some time, but IDC now believes that they've truly hit the mainstream. The analyst group estimates that about 21 percent of the 261.1 million smartphones shipped in the third quarter had displays five inches or larger; that's a huge jump from just three percent a year earlier. An influx of big flagships like the Galaxy S 4 and G2 no doubt played a major role in the growth. However, IDC notes that the average price of a large-screened phone has dropped by 22.8 percent in one year -- those shipments included a wave of lower-cost behemoths like the Ascend Mate and Galaxy Mega 6.3. IDC is also estimating market share for the quarter (shown after the break), although it's painting a familiar picture. Android now has more than 80 percent of the market, while iOS is treading water at 12.8 percent. Windows Phone grew quickly as well, climbing from two percent in Q3 2012 to 3.6 percent a year later. The fourth quarter may be a different story, however -- Nokia is getting into the giant handset game with the Windows Phone-based Lumia 1520 and 1320, while Apple is enjoying brisk sales of its recently launched (if relatively small) iPhone 5s. We won't be shocked if Google's mobile rivals grab a larger slice of the market.
ASUS and Samsung gain wide swaths of tablet market share in Q3
IDC has posted third quarter market share estimates which show that Android tablet makers had an exceptional summer. Samsung jumped more than two points over its Q2 results, claiming 20.4 percent of shipments; ASUS also thrived during the period, moving up from just 4.5 points in the second quarter to 7.4 percent three months later. Both saw big year-over-year gains, although they didn't grow as quickly as up-and-comers like Acer and Lenovo. It's not hard to see why ASUS and Samsung made such large strides -- both the Galaxy Tab 3 line and the new Nexus 7 launched in the summer. Things weren't quite as rosy for other tablet designers. While Apple was still the top manufacturer, it slipped below 30 percent in market share. IDC hasn't yet broken down shipments by OS, but it notes that the "others" category -- including Amazon, Microsoft and other small players -- shrank slightly to 35.3 points. The field is very likely to change in the fourth quarter between new iPads, the Kindle Fire HDX and Surface sequels. For now, though, it appears that the tablet market is shifting toward the giants of the Android world.
Gartner and IDC: PC shipments continued to slide in Q3, but the worst may be over
The PC market has been on the decline for the past year, but there are new hints that the situation is improving -- if only slightly. Both Gartner (shown here) and IDC estimate that worldwide computer shipments dropped roughly eight percent year-over-year in the third quarter. While that's not exactly comforting to vendors, it's better than the double-digit losses of the past several months; the analyst groups even saw flat or positive growth in countries like Japan and the US. Any further declines in some regions may be relatively gentle, Gartner says. As for who's out in front? Heavyweights like Lenovo, HP and Dell grew thanks to improving business sales and some advance shipments of Windows 8.1 PCs. Acer and ASUS, meanwhile, were dealt the worst blow as their netbook sales continued to suffer from the rise of mobile OS tablets. Neither Gartner nor IDC is predicting a turnaround for the industry, but they suggest that PC builders are finally figuring out their places in a world where mobile devices rule.
Google Play bests Nintendo and Sony handheld devices in mobile gamer purchases, gets cozy in second place
All of the attention on Android-powered mobile gaming has paid off: Google Play is now in second place behind iOS when it comes to mobile gamer spending. A report from IDC and App Annie that tallies up Q2 2013 purchases indicates that Google's app repository has surpassed gaming-specific devices like Nintendo's 3DS and Sony's PlayStation Vita for the first time. The numbers also show that funds spent in both iOS App Store and Google Play combined account for around four times that of dedicated devices. It's worth noting that there are a few more smartphones and tablets in the hands of consumers than the aforementioned handhelds, but content for the latter usually carries a higher price tag. Of course, integration with the next-gen PS4 and a price cut is on the horizon for the Vita, so that functionality could help boost Sony's numbers next time around.
iPad market share struggles in China
Research firm IDC reports that iPad shipments to China fell sharply during the second quarter of 2013, dropping from over 50 percent of the country's tablet market to only 28 percent. The iPad is still the top tablet in China, with Samsung grabbing an 11 percent share and Lenovo an 8 percent piece of the pie. Analyst Dickie Chang noted that there was strong demand for low-priced Android tablets from "white box vendors" -- that is, very generic devices from relatively unknown manufacturers. Chang said that "...consumers are becoming more familiar with the tablet product. They can use Android tablets from Samsung, Lenovo or others from small white box vendor guys because the price is cheap." How cheap? An Android tablet from Chinese manufacturer Onda sells for as little as 699 yuan (US$113) equipped with a quad-core processor, 8-inch screen and a 5-megapixel camera. A total of 46 percent of all tablet shipments came from vendors that IDC listed as "others" -- that means that individually, they each had a market share of less than 1 percent. Apple can take some solace in the fact that Microsoft's share of the Chinese tablet market is less than 1 percent, with only 37,000 units shipped. Confusingly, Chang also noted that the drop in iPad units shipped could just be Apple reducing inventories of the iPad and iPad mini in preparation for the introduction of new models. It appears that only time will tell if Chinese consumers are really jumping away from the iPad, or just waiting for the latest and greatest models from Cupertino.
iPad sales slip as tablet market surges
The tablet market has exploded in the last year, with nearly 60 percent growth since the same quarter in 2012. This is according to new information published by the market research firm IDC on Monday. At the top of the market is Apple, thanks to strong sales of the iPad. However, while Apple is still No. 1 on the charts, their victory comes with a coda that makes it a little bittersweet. Although Apple was the top vendor with 14.6 million iPads shipped and a 32.4 percent market share, they were the only company out of the top five vendors to have their market share drop since 2012. That year Apple enjoyed a staggering 60.3 percent market share. In 2013 that number had shrunk to a 32.4 percent market share, a -14.1 percent growth rate since the pervious year. Meanwhile their competition saw growth ranging from 277 percent for Samsung to 313.9 percent for Lenovo and 247.9 percent for Acer. But here is where looking at the full number chart, linked here and included above, is important. Each of the competitors who made a sudden surprising leap in market share this year had almost no market share the previous year. For a long time, Apple was the only serious game in town when it came to tablets for professionals. In the last year, the market has opened up with better models from Apple's competition, and often at a lower price point than the premium-priced iPad. Meanwhile Apple didn't have a new iPad for sale this year, unlike in 2012 when the third- and fourth-generation iPads and iPad mini hit the stores. Without new product driving sales, Apple saw their overall growth slow. Still, even with slowed growth, the company was able to lead the market in shipped units by more than 6 million units compared to their nearest competitor.
Smartphones continue to outsell feature phones but Apple share slips to three-year low
A new report from the analysts at IDC on the mobile market in Q2 2013 shows smartphones are continuing to outsell standard feature phones by a wide margin. Smartphones now account for 59 percent of mobile phones shipped. 230 million units were shipped in Q2 2013, up 47 percent from Q2 2012 when 156.5 million units were sold. It's the largest single quarter ever for shipments in the mobile market. The biggest winner was Samsung, who saw 56 percent growth since Q2 2012 and shipped 76 million smartphones in Q2 2013. Thanks in part to strong demand for the Galaxy S4 model, Samsung (which makes scores of different phone models, compared to Apple's lean lineup of three phones in two colors) ended up with 33 percent of marketshare for Q2. Apple's scorecard wasn't quite as strong. While shipments of the iPhone increased from 26 million to 31.2 million, a 20 percent growth, their growth was less than half of the industry average of 47 percent. Apple's global smartphone marketshare is currently at 14 percent. That's its lowest level since the second quarter of 2010. Apple's latest phone model, the iPhone 5, was released in September of 2012.
Apple hits three-year low in smartphone marketshare, shipment figures reveal
Fresh reports on the state of the cellphone market during Q2 2013 have blown through the barn door, and industry analysts are flaunting some fairly impressive figures. Smartphones have outsold their less-intelligent brethren for the second quarter in a row, and Strategy Analytics says shipments hit a record-breaking 237.9 million. According to IDC, Samsung managed to ship a total of 72.4 million smartphones during Q2 -- a 43.9% boost year-over-year -- with help of the Galaxy S 4 and price cuts to the GS3. To put that in perspective, that's more than double the 31.2 million iPhones Apple managed to ship, and Strategy Analytics claims this marks a three-year low in Cook and Co.'s marketshare. While LG and ZTE each occupy third and fifth place, respectively, Lenovo pushed Huawei out of the number four slot by sending out 11.3 million handsets. If you're craving for more stats, hit the break for a trio of press releases.
Gartner and IDC: PC shipments dropped about 11 percent in Q2
If you were looking for a bounce-back in the PC market after a sobering first quarter... well, keep looking. Both Gartner and IDC estimate that shipments fell about 11 percent year-over-year in the second quarter. The two analyst groups blame the decline on sluggish uptake in a few regions, most notably China and Europe, as well as a market that favors tablets over low-end computers. It's easy to agree after seeing the numbers. Taiwanese PC makers like Acer and ASUS faced steep yearly declines as they switched their attention toward tablets and Ultrabooks, while even top-seated Lenovo took a small bruising. There's a silver lining to this cloud, however. Dell, HP and Lenovo all fared much better in the US than they have in recent quarters. Gartner and IDC attribute the resurgence to the corporate world, where the end of Windows XP support in 2014 may be pushing some upgrades to PCs running at least Windows 7. It's not quite the broader recovery that vendors are hoping for, but it may have to suffice when any help from Windows 8.1 and OS X Mavericks is months away.
IDC: Tablets to outsell notebooks in 2013, all PCs in 2015
Well, that certainly didn't take long. The modern tablet, introduced by Apple with the first iPad in 2010, is completely changing the market for computing devices. IDC today released projections showing that tablet shipments will beat those of notebook computers this year, and that by 2015 more tablets will be sold than all types of PCs combined. That's not the only interesting information included in the IDC report: the company also notes that tablets with screens less than eight inches in size have already overtaken sales of devices with larger screens like the 9.7-inch iPad. IDC shows slight growth in sales of the smaller tablets into 2017, with devices with screens larger than the original iPad expected to pull in 6 percent of sales by that year. [via MacRumors]
Windows Phone steals third place from BlackBerry in IDC smartphone ranking
First and second place in the smartphone OS wars is a foregone conclusion with Android and iOS (respectively) strongly entrenched, but the battle for third place is now full of intrigue. BlackBerry and Microsoft have each stepped up their games with their respective BB10 and WP8 OS's of late, but so far it's Redmond prevailing, having jumped two spots from last quarter to take third place, with a 3.2 percent share over BlackBerry's 2.9 percent. While those two are fighting for third place scraps, Android kicked up its smartphone OS dominance with 75 percent of the global market, which is a huge jump from last year, while iOS fell back slightly to a 17.3 percent share. Between them, those titans owned 92.3 percent of the pie, but it's arguably Windows Phone that has raised its game the most, with a senior IDC analyst claiming that this latest ranking "validates the direction taken by Microsoft and key partner Nokia."
IDC: Android topped tablet share in Q1 at 57 percent, Apple led manufacturers
We were expecting a changing of the guard among tablets given the rise of several competitors throughout in 2012, and we've seen just that in IDC's market share estimates for the first quarter of 2013. The research firm shows Android having almost reversed the share it held a year ago, claiming the top spot at 56.5 percent; Apple's huge spike in year-over-year iPad sales wasn't enough to keep it from dipping to 39.6 percent. Microsoft's estimated performance tells a more complex story, however. Its second quarter of Windows 8 and RT sales involved a big year-to-year jump as well, but it was also starting largely from scratch -- the combined Windows platform was still tiny at 3.7 percent. The pecking order remained mostly the same among individual manufacturers, although the charts here explain just why OS share shifted so much in the winter. While Apple remained comfortably in front with its 39.6 percent, just about every rival made a dent: Samsung, ASUS, Amazon and Microsoft all gained at least a small amount, even if no one manufacturer posed a major threat. IDC is providing shipping numbers that don't necessarily reflect the on-the-ground sales, especially when everyone beyond Apple declines to report official numbers, but they suggest that tablets like the Nexus 7 and Surface Pro have found at least a small audience.
Smartphones out-shipped feature phones for the first time ever worldwide, says IDC
Q1 2013 marks the first time that smartphones made up the majority of cellphones shipped across the world, according to numbers from industry analyst IDC. 216 million handsets with computer-like functionality left factories compared to 419 million total, making up a solid 51.6 percent of the pie. Another trend spotted by the pollster was the emergence of Chinese phone makers, particularly ZTE and Huawei, who've notably displaced Blackberry and Nokia in the top five for smartphones sold. Meanwhile, Samsung improved its lead over Apple in smartphone shipments over last quarter, jumping from 29 percent to a 32.7 percent share in Q1, while Apple slid from 23 percent to 17.3 percent. Sony dropped out of the top 5 in that category, while LG surged to 3rd place at 10.3 million units shipped, with Huawei and ZTE rounding out the top 5. Meanwhile, Samsung and Nokia continued to dominate overall cellphone shipments with a 27.5 and 14.8 percent share of the overall market, respectively. However, Nokia itself isn't too optimistic about the feature phone portion of those sales continuing, as it mentioned in its last financial statement. And the fact that people are happy to surf the web on their phones? As we've seen, that doesn't bode too well for the computer industry.
