DUBLIN--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/zvrsmd/computer_hardware) has announced the addition of the "Computer Hardware Market Report 2012" report to their offering.
In 2011, the UK computer hardware market was estimated to have increased by 1.5% on the previous year. This growth represents the second consecutive year of growth for the computer hardware market, following declining trading conditions in the sector during 2009.
Currently, the largest sector in the computer hardware market is personal computers (PCs), with relatively strong growth exhibited in recent years. Similar growth rates have also been experienced in the servers sector of the market, although the segment is relatively small in comparison to the PCs sector. However, the peripherals and add-ons sector, which has experienced somewhat subdued growth in recent years, is expected to decline in the future, as an increasing number of products in this sector are integrated in desktops and mobile PCs.
The most significant trend currently affecting the market is the rapidly growing demand for portable computing, at the expense of desktop PCs. In 2007, sales in the portable PC segment of the market overtook the desktop PC segment. While mobility has been the main driver of this trend, the performance of portable PCs can now either match and even exceed that of desktop PCs, adding to the appeal of such goods.
Growth in the portable PCs segment of the market has also been driven by the launch of tablet PCs. The success of tablet PC is almost entirely attributable to the iPad which, with a thin and light design, strong performance specifications and improved battery life, cemented the tablet PC as a mass media device. This lead to numerous other computer hardware original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), and even mobile phone and software suppliers, to develop their own tablet PC.
Also in response the huge consumer demand for tablet PCs, a number of manufacturers have developed and launched Ultrabook.' Ultrabooks are being marketed as the next generation of laptop computers, borrowing many features from tablet PCs, such as instant-on' functionality and a thin and light design, along with more the advanced performance associated with desktops and laptops.
With continued economic uncertainty in the short term future, Key Note forecasts that the UK market for computer hardware will exhibit subdued growth in the coming years. However, as economic conditions improve, increasingly significant growth is forecast, buoyed by the industry's focus on new product developments (NPD). Over the next 5 years to 2016, it estimated that the computer hardware market will increase by 11.2%.
Companies Mentioned:
- Acer UK Ltd
- Apple (UK) Ltd
- Cisco Systems Ltd
- Dell Corporation Ltd
- Emc Computer Systems (UK) Ltd
- Epson (UK) Ltd
- Fujitsu (Fts) Ltd
- Hewlett-Packard Ltd
- Ibm Uk Ltd
- Lenovo Technology (UK) Ltd
For more information visit http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/zvrsmd/computer_hardware