XP death breathes life into PC market

'XP effect' set to continue throughout 2014 as Gartner and IDC figures show rebound in Q1 shipments

The EMEA PC market returned to growth for the first time in more than two years, according to Gartner, which agreed with IDC in saying the end of XP support boosted PC sales last quarter.

According to Gartner, PC shipments in EMEA totalled 22.9 million units in the first quarter of this year, up 0.3 per cent compared to the same period in 2013.

Earlier this week, Microsoft stopped providing support and updates for Windows XP after a well-publicised, year-long migration campaign, which the analyst said did a good job in boosting PC sales in the region - particularly in the commercial space.

"The end of support for Windows XP has boosted commercial desktop sales, driven in part by delayed government buying in major western European countries," said Isabelle Durand, principal research analyst at Gartner.

"The professional PC market looks stronger overall, as business and governments adjust to a more favourable economic environment. We also expect to see the impact of XP migration to continue throughout 2014."

Improvements in PC shipments were also driven by a general boost in professional spending, Gartner claimed.

The analyst's data showed that four of the top five vendors enjoyed double-digit PC shipment growth in EMEA in Q1, with just Acer suffering a 2.7 per cent dip in shipments over the same period.

The rosy EMEA picture was not replicated on a global level though, Gartner said, with worldwide PC shipments slumping 1.7 per cent annually to 76.6 million units.

IDC's figures were even more pessimistic - it claimed global PC shipments fell 4.4 per cent to 73.4 million units in Q1, but it agreed that the ‘XP effect' was working its magic.

"Similar to the latter part of 2013, the upside in the first quarter arose primarily from demand in mature commercial markets," it said. "Commercial refresh projects, which had already been protracted, received a last push from the impending end of Windows XP support."