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Africa to breathe new life in PC sales

With the surge in tablets, gaming consoles and mobile phones, it might seem like the traditional PC is on its way out. It certainly looked so, as PC sales have been in a steady decline for the last seven quarters.

But according to International Data Corporation (IDC) the PC is bound for a comeback in the Middle East and Africa, as Q2 of this year will see a growth 3.2%. The projected increase in sales stem from a results compiled by the company. The first quarter of the year however, is a bit bleaker: overall PC shipments were down 8.3% year on year to a total 4.8 million units.

“Demand in the regional PC market continues to suffer as end users maintain their shift toward tablets and smartphones. However, aggressive pricing strategies, an increasing focus from PC vendors on introducing innovative new form factors, and signs of recovery from the political instability that plagued certain parts of the region have all combined to soften the pace of decline in the PC market,” said Fouad Rafiq Charakla, a research manager for personal computing, systems, and infrastructure solutions at IDC Middle East, Africa, and Turkey, in a press statement.

While mini-notebooks have reached their end-of-life in the region, its products like All-in-Ones, convertible and ultraslim notebooks that have been predominantly driving the growth. But as one group of products start to emerge, another has to decline – which in this case is traditional desktop and notebooks.

“The ongoing recovery from political tensions and other major issues in Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and South Africa contributed significantly to the revival of PC demand in those countries, causing PC shipments to either grow or decline at a much slower rate. At the same time, the discontinuation of support from Microsoft for its Windows XP operating system (OS) forced some organisations in the region to upgrade the OS in their PCs, while others opted to replace their PCs altogether, which positively impacted commercial demand,” Charakla added.

Portable PCs also took a nose-dive by shipping 8.9% less year on year in Q1 2014, but brand loyalty has remained the same with HP, Lenovo, Dell, Toshiba, and Acer making up the top five vendors in the region.

“Looking ahead, IDC’s forecast for growth in Q2 2014 will see PC shipments to the Middle East, Africa, and Turkey reach 4.5 million units, while 2014 overall is expected to see shipments increase 1.9% year on year, with desktop PCs declining 3.7% and portable PCs growing 5.5% due to the ongoing shift toward mobility,” the report concluded.

[Source – IDC, Image – Shutterstock]

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