PC market bright even after decline during year

Sumo Computers shop at Swan Centre in Kisumu. Personal computer shipments to Kenya went down by a double digit in the third quarter of 2015 though researchers say demand for the machine will be high in the coming year. PHOTO | JACOB OWITI |  NATION MEDIA GROUP

In Summary

• The International Data Corporation (IDC) said the East African PC market suffered a 24.8 per cent decline in quarter three of this year with shipments slipping to 108,088 units.
• This was caused by depreciation of the local currency against the dollar. 
• PC vendors such as Lenovo and HP said the effect was temporary and 2016 will mark the year of greater sales for the gadgets. 

By LILIAN OCHIENG
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Personal computer shipments to Kenya went down by a double digit in the third quarter of 2015 though researchers say demand for the machine will be high in the coming year.

The International Data Corporation (IDC) said the East African PC market suffered a 24.8 per cent decline in quarter three of this year with shipments slipping to 108,088 units.

This was caused by depreciation of the local currency against the dollar. 

(READ: Shilling holds steady against dollar after US rate increase)

PC vendors such as Lenovo and HP said the effect was temporary and 2016 will mark the year of greater sales for the gadgets. 

“As the local currency stabilises against the dollar, demand for personal computers will continue to rebound; the gadgets will remain a complementary to the small devices in East Africa and the Middle East,” said Mr Charles Kuria HP managing director for East Africa.

He said PCs remain the preferred office and business device. “As more companies open up in the region, shipments will also increase.”

A single person can now own three devices, among them a PC, which is preferred for ease in productivity while IPads and smartphones are consumer gadgets mostly used for receiving information,” said Mr Kuria.

DRIVE UP SALES

Mr Eric Cador, president of Lenovo’s Europe, Middle East and Africa division, said despite the turbulence in the market, more focus will be put on the emerging regions in the coming year as companies concentrate on increasing their shares and driving up sales.

“Technological advancement offer consumers alternative options such as tablets, iPads and smartphones.

However, these devices are mobile and the modern office still needs PCs for survival,” said Mr Cador.

“Since emerging markets is the main market for PC shipments, we are working on increasing our coverage of the region,” he added.

Microsoft’s Windows 10 released July, is expected to help stabilise the ailing PC market in 2016 although vendors and partners of the operating system still need to work hard to convince customers of the benefits, according to IDC.

“The outlook remains positive, we see PC shipments stabilising in 2016, followed by limited growth for the next few years,” said IDC Vice President for worldwide PC trackers Loren Loverde in a statement.

“The Windows 10 operating system will act as an upgrade path for commercial Windows 7 users that didn’t go for Windows 8; It will be largely used on the PC.”