Smart-connected device market shows strong growth says IDC

SDC market in western Europe was boosted by an increase in demand for personal computers

The smart-connected device (SCD) market chalked up another positive quarter of growth in western Europe, thanks to an uptake in demand for PCs, according to IDC.

PC, tablet, and smartphone shipments reached 60.1 million units, with volumes 8.6 per cent higher than the same quarter last year, the report stated.

PC shipments recorded 23.6 per cent year-over-year growth for 3Q 2014, which was driven mainly by the start of a new school year and preparations for the Christmas sales.

Maciek Gornicki, senior research analyst at IDC, said: "After a few years of delayed renewals, consumers started to refresh their PCs again, encouraged by lower price points and attractive products offered by vendors. Shipments were also boosted by sell-in of low-end notebooks with Windows 8.1 Bing version, which are expected to drive volume during the Christmas season."

But despite this boost in the PC market, tablet sales continued to decelerate in growth, which IDC put down to users not needing to replace their devices.

Jorge Ferreira, research analyst at IDC, said: "The tablet market reached a plateau, which reflects some maturity for this technology, only four years after the popular introduction of the iPad. This quarter experienced a small contraction as a result of the ongoing dynamic shift among different mobile devices."

According to the report, the smartphone market in western Europe also recorded another positive quarter, with growth hitting 6.1 per cent year over year on the back of increased availability of inexpensive smartphones and the expansion of 4G networks.

Samsung kept hold of its lead in the SCD market for western Europe, despite a 16.5 per cent drop in unit growth compared with the same quarter in 2013, shipping 14.96 million units. The vendor held a 24.9 per cent unit share of the market, which was down from 32.4 per cent in 3Q 2013.

Apple was second among the vendors according to IDC, and enjoyed a 10.4 per cent increase in unit growth, year over year, shipping 10.9 million units. Apple secured an 18.1 per cent unit share of the market, up from 17.8 per cent in the same quarter in 2013.