According to a recent domestic PC market survey by IT market analysis and consulting firm IDC Korea (www.kr.idc.asia), Due to the large-scale replacement demand caused by XP migration in the first half of 2014, a double-digit decline compared to the previous year was inevitable, and the global PC market also contracted by 12.8%, similar to the domestic market.

Decrease inevitable due to XP migration in the first half of last year

Shipments by market were 530,000 units for consumer, 120,000 units for public and education, and 350,000 units for enterprise, representing decreases of 9.0%, 26.5%, and 13.8%, respectively, compared to the previous year. As the consumer market entered the off-season following the end of the back-to-school season, sales focused on lower-priced i3, Pentium, and Celeron products, while the share of open markets and social commerce linked to mobile shopping continued to increase.

Although the public and education sectors saw the largest decline as large-scale bidding volumes were postponed to the next quarter, the position of local brands was strengthened as desktops were designated as items for small and medium-sized enterprises, and the gradual establishment of a mobile environment is underway with the supply of more than 20,000 laptops every quarter.

Companies are maintaining a passive stance on IT investment due to increasing uncertainty in export conditions; as a result, they have extended PC replacement cycles and continued to adopt desktops, which are relatively cheaper than laptops.

530,000 desktops and 480,000 laptops were shipped, respectively, a decrease of 18.9% and 6.1% compared to the previous year. Ultra-slim laptops with a thickness of 21mm or less account for 45.6% of the market, which is still a high proportion compared to 27.2% globally.

Ultra-slim devices are largely divided into premium products that offer superior mobility and cloud-based entry-level products. In terms of screen size, 13-inch products account for over 40%, while 14- and 15-inch products are also gradually increasing their share.

On the other hand, all-in-one desktops accounted for 11.7% of the market, down from 15.4% in the previous quarter. This is because they have a high dependence on the consumer market, and volume decreased significantly after the new semester.

Windows 10 was introduced to the market in late July, about three years after the release of Windows 8. It is focusing on enhancing the Windows experience by unifying PCs, tablets, and smartphones into a single platform and offering free upgrades to consumers. In addition, Intel's 14nm-based 6th generation Skylake is being prepared starting from the third quarter, and is expected to bring an enhanced mobility experience.

"With the launch of Windows 10, the release of low-power processors with improved performance is expected to enable the emergence of various types of mobile devices," said Sang-Jun Kwon, Senior Research Analyst at IDC Korea. "Active cooperation among companies is required to secure the ecosystem of the smart connected device market, ranging from PCs, tablets, and smartphones to wearables, and competition is also expected to intensify."