Worldwide PC shipments in the first quarter of 2014 declined by -4.4% year on year, but it seems that the results are slightly better than expected due to the migration fro Windows XP to other operating systems.

PC shipments in the first quarter of 2014 totaled 73.4 million units, according to the International Data Corporation (IDC).
Although still in decline and with continuing weakness in consumer and emerging market segments, IDC's preliminary results are better than a projected decline of -5.3%.

Gartner, a rival market research company, said that PC shipments in the March quarter fell 1.7 percent. Gartner said total PC shipments in the first quarter were 76.6 million, while IDC said 73.4 million PC were shipped.

Similar to the latter part of 2013, the upside in the first quarter arose primarily from demand in mature commercial markets. Commercial refresh projects, which had already been protracted, received a last push from the impending end of Windows XP support, particularly in Japan. In addition, slowing demand for tablets seems to have helped constrain previously drastic cutbacks in notebooks. Nevertheless, emerging regions continued to post weak results, with growth in Latin America and Asia/Pacific (excluding Japan)(APeJ) falling even faster than recent declines as both economic conditions and continued tablet penetration stifled PC shipments.

"Worldwide PC shipments have now declined for eight consecutive quarters as a result of shifting technology usage and competition (notably with tablets & smartphones) as well as economic pressures (including high unemployment, slow growth & investment, tight credit, and currency fluctuations) related to the Great Recession, sovereign debt crises, and their related impact on international trade," said Loren Loverde, Vice President, Worldwide PC Trackers.

"PC shipment growth in the United States remained slightly faster than most other regions in the first quarter. However, the passing boost from XP replacements, constrained consumer demand, and no clear driver of a market rebound are expected to keep growth below zero going forward," said Rajani Singh, Senior Research Analyst, Personal Computing. "A rebound in consumer or a continuation of accelerated commercial upgrades could boost growth slightly, but low demand for upgrades in general combined with competition from tablets and 2-in-1 systems limit the growth potential."

According to IDC's data, the U.S. market continued to stabilize with growth near zero. With shipments totaling 14.3 million PCs in 1Q14, the U.S. market contracted by -0.6% from the same quarter a year ago. Desktop shipments were slightly stronger, posting 3.5% growth, while portables remained in negative territory.

Top 5 Vendors, Worldwide PC Shipments, First Quarter 2014 (Preliminary) (Units Shipments are in thousands)

Source: IDC Worldwide Quarterly PC Tracker, April 9, 2014

Top 5 Vendors, United States PC Shipments, First Quarter 2014 (Preliminary) (Units Shipments are in thousands)

Source: IDC Worldwide Quarterly PC Tracker, April 9, 2014

Lenovo preserved its lead in total worldwide PC shipments despite a seasonal drop due to the Chinese New Year. Growth in other regions continued at a solid pace although Latin America slowed after an expansion over the past year.

HP remained in the number 2 position, with growth rising to nearly 5% year on year, the company's highest growth in more than two years. Strong results in EMEA had the largest impact on HP's results, although growth in the U.S. and Canada also improved notably.