Tablets lose out to PCs in distie growth stakes

PC sales through western European distributors rose 20 per cent in April and May as tablet growth slowed to single digits

PC sales are growing faster than tablets for the first time since the iPad burst onto the scene in 2010, at least among western European distributors.

According to analyst Context, tablet sales through the region's major IT distributors grew by a muted 6.8 per cent in April and May, year on year, while sales of PCs – a form factor not so long ago consigned by some to the knacker's yard – shot up by 20.1 per cent.

Whether this new pecking order is only temporary remains unclear, however, with Context acknowledging that PC sales are enjoying a shot in the arm from the effects of the end-of-XP support.

But it's clear that tablet growth through the channel is slowing as the touchy-feely form factor reaches saturation, with the 6.8 per cent figure down on the 10.4 per cent rise registered in Q1.

At 21.8 per cent, tablet growth through UK distributors was higher than some other western European countries in April and May, including Spain and Italy, which both recorded year-on-year falls.

Across the region, Android tablet sales via distribution grew 25.3 per cent in the first two months of Q2, with iPad sales falling 20.2 per cent. Windows 8/8.1-based system sales pogoed 26.8 per cent, albeit it from a small base.