UK PC market enjoys best growth since 2000

The UK PC market has experienced its highest rate of growth since the third quarter of 2000, with sales rocketing by 17.4 per cent year on year.

Analyst IDC's latest EMEA Quarterly PC Tracker has reported that the key drivers of growth remain consumer spending and mobility. Seasonal back-to-school trends have also helped, as has price cutting.

IDC observed that laptops enjoyed growth of almost 40 per cent year on year but desktops saw only nine per cent.

"The continued decline of average selling prices has again boosted both consumer and commercial PC shipments," stated Ian Gibbs, research analyst for IDC's European personal computing group.

"With vendor revenues inevitably affected as a consequence, further price and margin erosion in the [laptop] space, although necessary for market expansion, will continue to be of key concern."

The consumer laptop market recorded growth of over 90 per cent year on year, with brands sold through Dixons and PC World stores enjoying particular success.

Commercial laptop shipments grew 26 per cent year on year. The majority of growth was seen from small and medium businesses (SMBs), which displayed both a greater flexibility than large corporate businesses in freeing up IT budgets and a greater demand for mobility in computing.

Meanwhile, commercial desktop shipments grew by six per cent year on year, helped by growth in the SMB segment and a distinct improvement in corporate renewals.

Large corporate PC rollouts are picking up momentum as budgets are made available for the essential upgrading of ageing equipment, IDC reported. The analyst firm added that x86 server shipments have grown by 19 per cent year on year.

For the first time since the Hewlett Packard-Compaq merger, Dell has regained leadership of the UK PC market, with a 22 per cent share.

Growing by 34.6 per cent year on year, Dell leads both in desktops and laptops. A number of corporate and public sector deals, continued expansion in the SMB market, and growth in the consumer markets have boosted the vendor's figures.