China PC shipments overtake US for first time

Edited and translated by Ma Xi, People's Daily Online

China overtook the United States in terms of total PC shipments for the first time in the second quarter this year, according to the latest market survey released by the America IDC research group.

China may surpass the United States as the biggest PC market in 2012.

The China's PC sales totaled 11.9 billion dollars, while U.S. sales dropped to 11.7 billion dollars. The shipments of China PCs reached 18.5 million units, with an increase of 14 percent. But the American shipments amounted to 17.7 million units, with a decline of 4.8 percent. This was the first time Chinese shipments overtook the United States in a single quarter. Chinese PC shipments accounted for 22 percent of the world PC market, surpassing the United States by 1 percent.

China's PC shipments reached 72.4 millions units this year, which were one million units fewer than the United States according to IDC, while the shipments totaled 85.1 million units, with an increase of 18 percent.

Market analysts said since the economy of China, the most populous country, developed dramatically, leading to increases in residents' incomes, Chinese PCs will surpass US and become another milestone of personal consumptive goods sooner or later.

The largest computer manufacturer HP may suspend computer production, while China's largest computer manufacturer Lenovo Group claimed its profits doubled in the last quarter. China attracted HP, Dell and other American brands to expand businesses in China, but HP's market share in China shrunk to 8.5 percent in the second quarter this year from 16.6 percent in 2009.