The EMEA PC market sees 2 consecutive quarters of decline during H2 2012-- Q4 2012 shipments drop by -9.6% Y-o-Y to reach 28.1 million units as the market continues to "face many headwinds."
As a result overall 2012 EMEA PC shipments drop by 2.8% from 2011. W. Europe remains the Achilles heel of the region, while C. and E. Europe and MEA see Q-o-Q growth.
“The holiday season mostly saw retailers clearing Windows 7 notebook inventory or driving volume of low-end notebooks," Gartner remarks. "Furthermore, the increasing choice of tablets at decreasing price points no doubt became a favorite Christmas present ahead of PCs.” In other words Windows 8 had zero impact on the holiday season due to Ultramobile products being both high in price and low in supply.
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