PC shipments dip 7.4% in Q1, 2016

Consumers accounted for 45% of total PC sales during the period

According to Gartner, personal computer (PC) shipments in India totalled nearly two million units in the first quarter of 2016, a 7.4 per cent decrease over the corresponding period in 2015. “Consumers accounted for 45 per cent of the total PC sales, down from 48 per cent in the first quarter of 2015,” said Vishal Tripathi, research director at Gartner.

“There was a decline in both the enterprise and consumer segments in buying. With the first quarter being the end of the financial year for some companies, there were expectations that enterprises would exhaust their budgets. However, it did not have much of an impact on the market, and it continues to face a challenging time.”

White boxes (including parallel imports), which accounted for 28 per cent of the overall desktop market, declined 6 per cent. Mobile PCs declined by 13 per cent year-on-year mainly due to lack of enthusiasm in consumer buying. Gartner analysts believe the first quarter of 2016 saw an excess inventory which was carried forward from the fourth quarter of 2015 and believe this to be carried into the second quarter of 2016 as well.

HP was the leader in PC shipments in India due to a strong presence in channels and online consumer purchases.