The overall Canadian Client PC market continued to experience positive growth, with unit shipments up 5.6% year over year in the fourth quarter of 2010 (4Q10). According to the International Data Corporation (IDC) Canadian Quarterly PC Tracker, total shipments for 4Q10 reached 1,807,034 units. Canada fared slightly better in the fourth quarter than the overall worldwide growth of 3.4% year over year. Growth rates for worldwide shipments by form factor were 4.3% for portables and 2.2% for desktops.
While 2010 was a year marked by rapidly changing dynamics, new product offerings, and a still cautious economic climate, the overall Canadian Client PC market grew by 12.7% over 2009.
Portable PC market performance was slightly better than forecasted, growing 2.9% year over year on 1,196,342 units in the fourth quarter. Desktop PC shipments came in lower than expected, with 610,692 units in total for the quarter and up 11.4% over the same period last year.
HP built on its lead position in the overall Canadian Client PC market with a 28.2% unit share, gaining from a share of 27.6% in Q3 2010. Acer maintained second place overall with 19.1% share of total PC shipments. Dell rounded out the top three with a 14.1% overall share.
The Mini Notebook product category also continued its rapid descent. In the fourth quarter of 2009, Mini Notebooks accounted for just over 24% of portable shipments. By 4Q10, that number dropped to just 8% of portable shipments. The almost 25% annual decline in average selling values has not helped to slow the dwindling unit volume of mini notebook shipments.
"The increase in the "consumerization" of traditional commercial channels is notable and represents a significant shift in the purchasing behavior of Canadian businesses toward the retail channel, which now accounts for 50% of PC client shipments," said Tim Brunt, senior analyst, Personal Computing at IDC Canada. "With businesses increasingly buying through retail channels, and buying more consumer-designed products, the market saw an almost 10% reduction in the average selling value of the PCs purchased by commercial clients. Meanwhile, despite the attention given to Media Tablets, their impact on PC shipments has thus far been negligible."
Top 5 Canadian PC Vendors Market Shares and Shipment Growth, Fourth Quarter 2010
Vendor |
4Q10 Market Share |
4Q10/4Q09 Growth |
1. HP |
28.2% |
9.1% |
2. Acer |
19.1% |
-4.4% |
3. Dell |
14.1% |
5.2% |
4. Apple |
10.6% |
15.6% |
5. Toshiba |
8.0% |
14.3% |
Other |
20% |
3.7% |
Source: IDC Quarterly Canada PC Tracker, February 15, 2011