Worldwide PC shipments continued to grow at a healthy pace in the second quarter of 2008 (2Q08), according to IDC's Worldwide Quarterly PC Tracker. Shipments were up 15.3% from a year ago – slightly more than second quarter projections and first quarter growth of 14.9%. Solid growth in the EMEA (Europe, Middle East, Africa) region helped offset slower growth in Asia/Pacific excluding Japan (APeJ).

“Despite the economic headwinds, the PC market continued to show its resilience,” said Loren Loverde, director of IDC’s Worldwide Quarterly PC Tracker. “Product refreshes, vendor competition for channels, and aggressive pricing add to the ongoing trend toward Portable computing in attracting buyers. The steady growth, despite the pressure on consumer finances, reflects the increasingly important role of PCs within personal technology, and steady improvements in price and design. Nevertheless, economic pressures are mounting and PC market growth is expected to decline over the next year. The relatively strong PC market in recent quarters does not mean that the sector is immune to the changing economic environment.”

"As expected, the U.S. market had a sluggish performance, with growth in low single-digits due to budgetary constraints among both consumers and businesses. Despite a tough economic environment, some vendors executed well, in particular Dell with its channel and retail expansion,” said David Daoud, research manager, Personal Computing. "Given the current economic fundamentals, demand could remain depressed in the coming quarters if economic pressures continue, even with sustained price decreases."

In line with expectations, demand in the United States suffered from ongoing economic pressures. Growth was in the low single-digits as consumer and businesses tightened their PC spending budgets. From a competitive standpoint, Dell continued its recovery with another quarter of double-digit growth, while HP saw year-on-year growth rise from the first quarter. Portable adoption remains a key market driver, even though consumer share is generally at its lowest during the second quarter.

EMEA continued to see strong PC sales driven by unabated notebook demand across the region and the additional momentum created by new ultra low-cost offerings. Total shipment growth came in slightly greater than in the first quarter of 2008 as the strong Euro and aggressive competition continued to support PC purchasing despite rising energy costs.

The Japan market remained sluggish overall, although growth in the mid-single digits was up from the first quarter with contributions from both consumer and commercial segments. The depreciation of the U.S. dollar has helped vendors such as HP and Dell make inroads, and the troubles of Everskill Technology have also benefited other players.

Asia/Pacific (excluding Japan) saw lower than expected growth in most markets as rising energy costs and inflation concerns cut into spending. Year-on-year growth remained in the mid teens, though several percentage points slower than in recent quarters. The slowing market affected most vendors, with the top 5 all showing slower growth than last quarter.