iPads and inflation: Double I's hurting PC sales

The Asia/Pacific (ex Japan) PC market posted a flat 1% growth for 1Q11, with only 26.8 mln units sold.

The figure represents a mere 7% year-on-year increase in sales, according to IDC.

Stronger sales in Indonesia and Korea were not enough to offset the losses brought about by the increasing preference in China and India for tablet devices such as Apple's iPad and Samsung's Galaxy tablet.

In a statement,IDC said consumers remained distracted by inflation and competing product categories like media tablets.

"Inflation and other competing consumer devices are not the only reasons weakening the PC market growth, as supply chain risks due to the recent earthquake in Japan also add uncertainty to the market," said Bryan Ma, Associate Vice President for Client Devices Research at IDC Asia/ Pacific.

"Still, commercial spending is expected to improve later this year to help keep the region moving to around 10% growth in 2011."

Despite the Lunar New Year slowdown in its home market of China, Lenovo remained the top vendor in the region, with its market share higher than the same period one year ago.

HP was down in unit terms compared to its performance last year, but at least it finally managed to arrest its share losses through a recovery in countries like China. Dell's regional share rebounded from last quarter with strong performances in both China and India markets.

ASUS too, was able to gain ground through ongoing channel expansion to lower tier cities in China.

If you've been wondering whether SBR could work for your company — yes, probably.

A lot of the companies we partner with started as readers. They'd been following our coverage for a while, saw their own customers and competitors in it, and eventually asked the obvious question: could we do something with you? The answer is usually yes. The shape of it depends on what you're trying to do.

The options are broader than most people assume — thought leadership articles, sponsored content, industry summits across Southeast Asia, regional awards programmes, podcasts, and media placements in print and digital. Some partners use one channel; most use a mix. We figure out the right combination by starting with your brief, not with our rate card.

So if the question has been on your mind, here's the easy way to ask it.

We'll tell you honestly whether we can help, and how. It's a better use of everyone's time.

Book a meeting

| Or download the media kit (PDF)

240,000 senior readers quarterly in print Top 1,700 Singapore companies reached

7 markets across Southeast Asia