Notebook PC shipments were up 10% YoY in Q3, DisplaySearch has said, to 49.4 million units. By comparison, tablet PC shipments fell 8%. The mature markets of North America and Western Europe drove notebook growth; shipments in these regions were up more than 20% YoY.
As well as the slump in tablet sales, notebook demand was increased by back-to-school sales, low-priced products with Windows and Chromebooks. Chromebook sales were especially high in the USA. These units are forecast to reach 5% of global notebook PC sales by the end of the year (8 million units). Share could rise to 12% next year, if 2015 notebook demand reaches the planned 20 million units.
The combined market share of the top five notebook PC brands was up 23% YoY in Q3, representing 69% of total shipments. Lenovo and HP (20% and 19% share, respectively) led the market, with strong shipments in Western Europe and North America. Lenovo took the top spot in Western Europe and China, while HP ruled Eastern Europe, North America and the Rest of World regions. Apple’s fifth-place rank was mainly due to a rising market share in the USA.
