Global SMB PC Shipments Total 120.1 Million Units in 2010, a Growth Rate of 10.4% Over 2009, Says Techaisle

SAN JOSE, Calif., Feb. 2, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Preliminary data shows 120.1 Million PCs were shipped in 2010 to SMBs (businesses with less than 1000 employees) – a year on year growth rate of 10.4%.

The bulk of growth rate came from Emerging Market countries which reported a 16.5% increase while Mature Markets, like Germany or the US, grew by a combined total of 4.4%. For the first time, Emerging Market SMB PC unit shipments exceeded that of Mature Markets. By 2014, it is forecast that SMB PC Shipments in Emerging Market countries will cross 100 Million Units.

Global SMB overall PC Penetration at the end of 2010 was 59%; 37% was in the Emerging Markets – a penetration rate which is forecast to reach 50% by 2014. PC penetration is calculated as the number of SMBs actively using at least one PC divided by the total number of SMBs.  

By format type, Desktop PCs are still SMBs' choice of device type with unit sales equaling 61.3 million (51% of world total). Notebook PCs totaled 54.3 million (45%), and Netbooks was 4.5 million. However, Notebooks are forecast to exceed Desktop shipments in 2011. Data excludes Tablet PCs – such as Apple iPad.

BRIC Countries accounted for nearly 30% of the Global SMB PC Shipments. The preliminary regional breakout of SMB PC shipments is:

Growth rate in Mature Markets was hindered by uncertain business environment and lack of hiring. The immediate outlook, however, seems promising with Techaisle's recent surveys revealing that Small businesses view IT as key contributor for business growth and empowerment and they have an increasing desire to refresh IT, migrate to Windows 7 and build capabilities for Cloud Computing. Emerging Market countries' growth came from increasing PC to employee ratio as well as improved PC penetration among SMBs.

For small businesses in Mature Markets, Purchase Channels are also showing a shift from VAR/Reseller to Retail/Online due to a combination of buyers' IT maturity and smaller replacement batches - with around 30% of US SB purchased PCs sourced from Retail Stores. However, in Emerging Markets [e.g. Brazil], nearly half of SB PC purchases were still through the traditional VAR/Reseller Channel.

About Techaisle

Techaisle is a global SMB IT market research and Industry Analyst organization. In addition, its SMB Routes-to-Market coverage provides an in-depth understanding of resellers and distribution channel flow. Techaisle provides six major services: Worldwide SMB IT Market Sizing, Channel Research, Syndicated Market Research, SMB Cloud Computing, Consulting and Segmentation. For more information on Techaisle or its global products/services, please visit www.techaisle.com.

SOURCE Techaisle