Computer sales tumble in Asia on mobile competition

Singapore: Sales of personal computers fell 10 per cent in the Asia Pacific last year due to sluggish economic growth and tough competition from mobile devices, an industry analyst said on Tuesday.

International Data Corporation (IDC) said sales of PCs fell to 108 million units in the Asia Pacific outside Japan, marking the region's first annual double digit decline. "The economic sluggishness in big emerging markets in the region adversely affected buying sentiments," IDC said.

"On the consumer side, smartphone and tablet distractions spread throughout the region this year, further contributing to the sharp decline in the PC market." IDC analyst Handoko Andi added that "2014 is expected to remain another challenging year for the PC market as competition will only grow among the devices."

Chinese PC maker Lenovo retained its top spot last year with a market share of 24.9 per cent, although sales fell 9.5 per cent year-on-year due to a slump in its home market China, IDC said. US firm Hewlett-Packard was in second place with a market share of 10.5 per cent, up from 8.9 per cent as sales rose due largely to an education project in India.

Dell was in third spot with a 9.4 per cent market share, as sales dipped 2.8 per cent on a weaker China market. It was trailed by Taiwan's Acer and ASUS with a market share of 8.1 per cent and 6.9 per cent, respectively, according to IDC.

The decline in sales was sharpest for the Taiwan PC makers. Sales for Acer fell by a whopping 28.6 per cent as the company continued "to struggle with its product strategy," IDC said. ASUS sales were down by 13.4 per cent.