SAN FRANCISCO, Jan 12 (Reuters) - Global personal computer shipments crept up only slightly in the fourth quarter, industry tracker IDC said on Wednesday, hurt by weak consumer demand and competition from Apple's iPad tablet.
PC shipments rose 2.7 percent to 92.1 million in the October-December period. IDC had expected growth of 5.5 percent.
'Growth has been steadily slowing throughout the year as weakening demand and competition from the Apple iPad constrain PC shipments,' IDC analyst David Daoud said in a news release.
The iPad, which launched last April, has helped spawn a new market in tablet computers. Dozens of new touchscreen tablets are expected to launch this year, further eating into demand for traditional PCs.
IDC does not count tablets in its PC market estimate.
For 2010 as a whole, shipments rose 13.6 percent. IDC said it now expects growth in 2011 to be lower than its previous forecast of 10 percent.
Hewlett-Packard Co maintained the top spot in the global PC rankings in the fourth quarter, although shipments dipped and the company's market share fell.
Dell Inc took firm control of the No. 2 spot in the rankings, with shipments rising around 4 percent.
Once hot No. 3 Acer Inc, whose sales were fueled by low-cost netbooks that have now fallen out of favor with consumers, saw shipments fall 15 percent.
The top five was rounded out by Lenovo and Toshiba Corp, which both continued to post above-market growth.
(Reporting by Gabriel Madway; Editing by Bernard Orr) Keywords: IDC/PCS (gabriel.madway@thomsonreuters.com; +1 415 677 2536) COPYRIGHT Copyright Thomson Reuters 2011. All rights reserved. The copying, republication or redistribution of Reuters News Content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Thomson Reuters.
PC shipments rose 2.7 percent to 92.1 million in the October-December period. IDC had expected growth of 5.5 percent.
'Growth has been steadily slowing throughout the year as weakening demand and competition from the Apple iPad constrain PC shipments,' IDC analyst David Daoud said in a news release.
The iPad, which launched last April, has helped spawn a new market in tablet computers. Dozens of new touchscreen tablets are expected to launch this year, further eating into demand for traditional PCs.
IDC does not count tablets in its PC market estimate.
For 2010 as a whole, shipments rose 13.6 percent. IDC said it now expects growth in 2011 to be lower than its previous forecast of 10 percent.
Hewlett-Packard Co maintained the top spot in the global PC rankings in the fourth quarter, although shipments dipped and the company's market share fell.
Dell Inc took firm control of the No. 2 spot in the rankings, with shipments rising around 4 percent.
Once hot No. 3 Acer Inc, whose sales were fueled by low-cost netbooks that have now fallen out of favor with consumers, saw shipments fall 15 percent.
The top five was rounded out by Lenovo and Toshiba Corp, which both continued to post above-market growth.
(Reporting by Gabriel Madway; Editing by Bernard Orr) Keywords: IDC/PCS (gabriel.madway@thomsonreuters.com; +1 415 677 2536) COPYRIGHT Copyright Thomson Reuters 2011. All rights reserved. The copying, republication or redistribution of Reuters News Content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Thomson Reuters.