UK market to become more attached to detachables
Thin and light devices set to account for 30 per cent of overall PD device market in 2017, rising to 43 per cent by 2021
A recent slowdown in UK sales of detachable devices will be reversed in the second half of 2017, according to IDC, which predicts that thin and light form factors will account for 30 per cent of the total UK PC device market this year.
The market watcher says that UK PC and tablet sales will shrink 6.8 per cent this year to 3.2 million units as Brexit uncertainty, exchange rate fluctuations and public spending cuts put pressure on device spending.
Despite this, the momentum behind thin and light form factors will continue this year as consumers and businesses gravitate towards features that support mobility and OEMs attempt to decrease exposure to low-margin, entry-level PCs and tablets, IDC said.
As a result, detachables, covertibles and ultra-slims are set to account for about 30 per cent of the total PC device market in the UK in 2017, up from 25 per cent in 2016, IDC said. This figure will rise to 43 per cent by 2021, it added.
Convertibles will grow by 28.9 per cent this year and ultra-slims by 9.8 per cent, IDC said.
Detachables are also set to return to stellar growth in the second half despite losing steam over the past six months, the analyst added.
"Several factors affected the performance of detachables in the UK in the last six months," said Daniel Gonçalves, senior research analyst, Western Europe Personal Computing Devices at IDC.
"Firstly, the replacement of notebooks by Windows-based detachables eased off, as the benefits have not been seen to be clear enough. Secondly, there was a growing focus on convertibles by many prominent OEMs and this has had some negative impact on detachables. Lastly, there was a longer than usual period during which major detachable brands capable of boosting demand weren't updated."
Detachable sales will rise by 27.6 per cent in the six months to 31 December 2017, IDC predicted.
"We are confident that the number of new models being introduced will help boost shipments from the second half of 2017," Gonçalves said.