Notebooks Continue to Grow in EMEA

Research group IDC says the notebook industry in EMEA has continued to show strong growth despite the current economic crisis. According to IDC:

Driven by continued buoyancy in the notebook market and the additional momentum created by the new "Mini Notebook" segment, PC shipments recorded a robust 27% increase in EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa) in the third quarter of 2008 (3Q08) compared with the same quarter last year, according to preliminary data released by IDC EMEA.

Despite gloomy economic confidence in several European countries, notebooks continued to drive overall market growth at over 52% year on year as consumer demand showed no sign of slowing down in Western Europe and continued to grow in CEE and MEA, while the market also benefited from sustained demand in the business space.

A large portion of this growth has been driven by the introduction of mini PCs into the market a year ago. ASUS first released the Eee PC but was quickly followed into the sector by other players such as ACER. According to IDC, ACER is now the no. 1 supplier of notebooks in the EMEA region. IDC says:

Acer made an explosive entry in the mini notebook market, which, combined with continued growth of its mainstream notebooks as well as desktops, propelled the Taiwanese vendor to the number 1 position in the overall EMEA PC market ranking for the first time. Acer deployed a massive push of its Aspire One across both the retail and telco channels, which contributed to soaring volumes, further strengthening its position in the notebook market. The vendor also continued to gain share in the desktop space, benefiting from the exit of local players from the Western European desktop market.

Asus in the meantime maintained their no. 4 postion in the EMEA region. IDC notes:

Asus stepped further up to fourth place shipping over 2 million units this quarter, leveraging from the unabated success of the Eee PC product range. Boasting the largest mini notebook portfolio with varied spec options, the vendor maintained strong push into the retail channel, whilst sealing a multitude of deals with telco operators across EMEA. The elevated exposure and brand recognition gained through the Eee PC also contributed to strong growth of its mainstream notebook portfolio.

Although this is optimisitic news in declining times, one should remember the average selling price of the mini PCs is much lower than a notebook computer and therefore although per unit sales have grown rapidly, the overall revenue streams would not have grown as quickly.

IDC: Major Push of "Mini Notebooks" Boosts Consumer Demand and Drive A Strong Back-to-School Quarter in EMEA, Says IDC