Europe's PC sales soar

IDC has reported continued market expansion with EMEA PC shipments increasing by a robust 24.5% year-on-year. There is buoyant demand for mobility which has driven notebook growth at 53.5% amid overall economic pressure, it says.

In analysis of the second quarter PC results, it says this quarter also benefited from the additional momentum created by the arrival of low-cost ultra-portables, which boosted consumer notebook growth.

But even desktop trends rebounded into positive territory, recording a soft 0.7% increase. Despite overall economic uncertainty, commercial sales displayed a solid 15.2% growth year on year.

Low-cost ultra-portables will add incremental volumes, IDC says, as vendors target mobile professionals as well as better specs and dedicated software. Amid rising concerns over business spending behaviour, replacement activity continues in the corporate segment.