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Research and Markets: Examine the Challenges and Opportunities of the Computer Hardware Market As Companies Are Forced into Mergers and Acquisitions

Posted on: Tuesday, 21 October 2008, 12:00 CDT

Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/e6aceb/computer_hardware) has announced the addition of the "Computer Hardware Market Report 2008" report to their offering.

The UK market for computer hardware, defined by Key Note as comprising PCs, servers and peripherals/add-ons, was worth an estimated GBP 12.29bn at end-user prices in 2007, a 2.1% increase on the figure for 2006. Overall, the market has increased in value by 9.9% since 2003.

The market experienced mixed fortunes between 2003 and 2007. Servers and portable PCs showed the strongest growth rates over the period. Blade servers and low-cost volume servers have made big inroads into the market. Vendors are now focusing on small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), with a range of new servers priced within easy grasp of this market.

The success of portable computers has been attributed to several factors, including the downward spiral in prices that is so characteristic of this industry. The sector has been given an added boost by the quest among both consumers and business users to become more mobile in their computing and communications. PC manufacturers are evolving new ranges of `ultraportable' computers to satisfy this demand for mobility.

The growth in sales of portables has been at the expense of desktop computers, sales of which are now in decline. Modern portables are able to match desktop computers in terms of performance and they will continue to replace desktops for both business and home users in the future.

Peripherals/add-ons include printers, networking equipment and storage devices. Although printers (particularly multifunction devices (MFDs)) and flat-screen monitors experienced significant sales growth in the early part of the review period, falling prices have resulted in negative value growth in more recent years. Sales of networking equipment and storage devices have, however, increased steadily as both businesses and consumers have expanded their use of the Internet and wireless computing.

Falling prices have put pressure on vendors and have forced them to reduce their margins. They have also fuelled a continuing trend towards mergers and acquisitions among the large international computer-hardware firms, since strong advantages are offered by economies of scale. Many of the UK's computer-hardware firms are subsidiaries of US and Japanese companies. However, local and regional UK suppliers also compete in niche markets.

The outlook is for negligible growth in the UK market for computer hardware in 2008 and negative growth in 2009 as the economy experiences a downturn. A slow recovery will follow between 2010 and 2012 as the economic cycle returns to a more buoyant period.

Key Topics Covered:

Executive Summary

1. Market Definition

2. Market Size

3. Industry Background

4. Competitor Analysis

5. Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats

6. Buying Behaviour

7. Current Issues

8. The Global Market

9. Forecasts

10. Company Profiles

11. Further Sources

Companies Mentioned:

-Acer Uk Ltd

-Dell Corporation Ltd

-Epson (uk) Ltd

-Fujitsu Siemens Computers Ltd

-Hewlett-Packard Ltd

-Ibm United Kingdom Ltd

-Lexmark International Ltd

-Sun Microsystems Holdings Ltd

For more information visit http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/e6aceb/computer_hardware

Source: Business Wire

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