IDC is reporting worldwide PC monitor shipments totaled 28.5 million units in the second quarter of 2017.
While the shipment total represented a decline of 6.4 per cent over the prior year, some of the market softness can be attributed to a strong second quarter in 2016, presenting the most recently closed quarter with a challenging comparison.
However, market consternations persist. For starters, the 28.5 million units shipped also represents a sequential decline of 1.2 per cent, the first sequential decline for a second calendar quarter since 2014. A sequential decline in a mid-year quarter is typically the outcome of digestion of excess inventory, which is troubling given that first quarter of 2017 also opened in the red. Still, optimism abounds, particularly around replacements of old monitors approaching end of life. Strong back-to-school and holiday seasons should prop the market up, and as such, IDC has revised its forecast for the second half of 2017 from -2.8 per cent growth to a decline of 1.7 per cent.
Maura Fitzgerald, senior research analyst, at IDC, expects the global PC monitor market will continue to decline at rates around two per cent year over year from 2018 through 2020.
IDC currently forecasts 117 million PC monitor units will be shipped for the full year 2017 and expects to see a year-over-year decline of 2.2 per cent in worldwide shipments to 27.8 million units in the second quarter of 2018. By 2020, worldwide shipments are expected to be less than 112 million units as the adoption of mobile devices at lower price points is expected to continue.
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New innovations such as curved monitors continue to be on the rise, with 3.8 per cent market share in second quarter of 2017. This represents year-over-year growth of 52.5 per cent.
Large monitors such as 21.5-inches wide and 19.5-inches wide continue to dominate the worldwide market, with 22.2 per cent and 11.6 per cent market share respectively in second quarter of 2017. Of the top ten screen sizes, 23.8-inches wide and 27-inches wide saw the largest year-over-year growth, posting 75.1 per cent and 19.5 per cent, respectively.
Dell stayed in the top position in the second quarter with worldwide market share of 19.5 per cent on shipments of over 5.5 million units. The vendor posted strong year-over-year growth in Canada with 35.8 per cent.
HP placed second followed by Lenovo, Samsung, and LG Electronics.