The second quarter of 2013 was a bust for PC manufacturers. Shipments of desktop and notebook computers were down nearly 11% from the second quarter of 2012. Only Lenovo was able to weather the waning market, raising shipments year-over-year by 19.7% and overtaking HP as the world’s top PC manufacturer.
Now it appears that HP is poised to take its title back, at least with regards to notebooks. According to a DigiTimes report, Lenovo’s shipments of notebook PCs are expected to fall 7 to 9 percent during the third quarter of 2013, while HP’s notebook shipments are expected to rise 15 to 20 percent. The report cites unnamed “Taiwan-based supply chain makers” as stating this would put HP back at number one for notebook shipments worldwide.
Though HP has been emphasizing its enterprise solutions businesses in recent months, the company is still shipping large numbers of PCs. Though Windows 8 failed to energize the PC market for 2012’s holiday season, the looming end of support for Windows XP is expected to push PC sales in the coming months, particularly for businesses that have been slow to upgrade. HP has officially teamed with Microsoft to transition businesses to Windows 8. The DigiTimes report also cites large government contracts as a factor in HP’s expected shipment upturn.
HP is also expected to compete aggressively in the mini-tablet market this fall. The company is rumored to be launching a $99 tablet in cooperation with Wal-Mart for the back-to-school season.
(via DigiTimes)
