Aussie PC market in the doldrums: IDC

The Australian PC market declined 21 percent in the first quarter of 2013 compared to the same time last year, according to new research from IDC.

The only upside was in the NSW and Queensland education sectors, which saw major roll-outs. Key winners were vendors with a strong presence in education, such as Apple, Lenovo and Acer. Acer benefited from a tender win which saw it deliver notebooks to teachers in Queensland.

"The softness in PC sales across the consumer and commercial space reflects a declining demand for PCs," says Amy Cheah, Market Analyst of IDC Australia, in a statement. "More consumers are skipping or delaying PC purchase as tablets become the more common alternative for mobile access. Vendors, as a result, took a more cautious approach this quarter, cutting back on shipments given the slow moving inventory situation."

And things don’t look like they’re going to get any better, with IDC forecasting a further decline of 15 percent across the Australia and New Zealand markets.

HP took the top slot in the Australian PC market, with a 19 percent share. Hot on HP’s heels was Apple, with 18 percent, followed by Dell, with 15 percent. Lenovo and Toshiba rounded out the top five vendors, with 11 percent and nine percent, respectively.