Canalys: PCs flat in Q2 2013, tablet shipments up 42.9% but desktops and laptops down 7.4% and 13.9% respectively

In Q2 2013, the worldwide PC market experienced a quarter without growth, if you consider desktops, laptops, and tablets as PCs. Tablet shipments increased 42.9 percent year-over-year but the growth was offset by declines in desktop and laptop shipments, which fell 7.4 percent and 13.9 percent, respectively.

The latest estimates come from Canalys, an independent analyst firm which noted PC shipment declines in EMEA of 3 percent year-on-year, the first decline after two successive quarters of double-digit growth.

Here’s the breakdown by vendor:

As you can see, Apple remained the top PC vendor in Q2, but the company’s share fell more than two percentage points from 19.4 percent in Q2 2012 to 17.1 percent in Q2 2013. Canalys blames an annual decrease in iPad shipments for the drop (desktop and laptop shipments only accounted for around 20 percent of Apple’s total PC shipments).

Lenovo meanwhile had a strong quarter, gaining share in both its core desktop and laptop categories as well as tablets. HP managed to bounce back and overtake Samsung to regain third place, likely thanks to a change in its tablet strategy with the launch of its first Android tablet, the Slate 7.

Unsurprisingly, iOS and Android continue to both gain thanks to the shift to tablets. Android’s share of the total PC market increased from 6 percent a year ago to 17 percent in Q2 2013.

Despite tablet growth slowing this past quarter, Canalys still believes tablets will outsell laptops by Q4. If true, 2013 will be a milestone year, and 2014 will be very interesting to watch as a result.

Again, all these observations are being made under the assumption that tablets are still PCs. If you don’t believe that, then the PC market is tanking.

See also – Gartner: PC shipments slip 10.9% to 76m units in Q2 2013, fifth consecutive quarter means longest decline yet

Top Image Credit: Kevork Djansezian / Getty Images