Personal computer (PC) shipments in Western Europe dropped by 20.5% to 12.3 million units during the first quarter of 2013, according to Gartner’s new report.
During the quarter, France reported the steepest decline of 25% among the region’s three biggest country markets, with Germany experiencing its eleventh consecutive quarterly decline.
Gartner principal research analyst Meike Escherich said the first quarter of 2013 brought the worst quarterly decline in Western Europe since Gartner started tracking PC shipments in this region.
"Wide availability of Windows 8-based PCs could not boost consumer PC purchases during the quarter," Escherich said.
"Although the new Metro-style user interface suits new form factors, users wonder about its suitability for traditional PCs – non-touchscreen desktops and notebooks."
All PC segments in Western Europe reported declines during the quarter, with mobile and desktop PC shipments falling by 24.6% and 13.8%, respectively, while shipments to professional and consumer PC markets dropped by 17.2% and 23.7%.
HP and Acer experienced over 30% declines compared to corresponding quarter in 2012, while Lenovo and Apple recorded growth of 7.2% and 0.5% respectively.
According to Escherich, the battle for consumer wallet share continues between different devices.
"The PC is the first to fall by the wayside as usage patterns shift toward smartphones and tablets," Escherich added. "This ongoing trend will have a profound impact on the size of the installed base of PCs."
PC shipments in the UK reached 2.5 million units, down 15.8%, while Germany reported 20% decline compared to the corresponding period of 2012.
