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PC MARKET
28
Attach, attach, attach
Technology Reseller
talks to Exertis about opportunities in the PC market
and procurement are clearly maximising
the lifetime of their machines. That said,
we could see a surge in sales in 2017, as
the last big refresh came three years ago,
in 2014, when Microsoft ended support
for Windows XP. IT managers are looking at
their PC estates with that in mind.
TR
: Even with the cloud and mobility, PCs
are still an essential business tool.
Steve Hewins (SH):
Yes, absolutely; in
business, the PC is as vital as it ever was.
The difference now is the type of platform
being used. Five to 10 years ago, a typical
200-seat organisation would have 80-90%
desktop PCs, with laptops for field sales
teams. If you go into a business today, you
will see a much smaller estate of desktop
PCs and a much bigger estate of traditional
clamshell laptops. You will also see some
2-in-1s, some tablet devices, some hybrid
convertibles – a real mixture of platforms.
TR
: Does this choice create unwanted
complexity in the market?
SH:
Not so much for resellers, but possibly
for end users in terms of the functionality
they are after. Is a traditional clamshell the
right device, or a 2-in-1 or a convertible
with a 360 degree hinge? That’s where
manufacturers, distributors and resellers
have a role in terms of educating the
market.
SB:
It’s a double-edged sword for end
users. There is so much choice now, it can
be a bit daunting. But ultimately, choice
can only be a good thing, as it lets you
pick the perfect product for your specific
application. Resellers can provide real
value by understanding all the different
platforms and where they can be applied
and helping end users to choose the right
device for them. That’s a real opportunity
for resellers and distributors alike.
TR
: Could resellers do more to educate
their customers?
SH:
You can never have enough education
and knowledge in this space. Resellers,
distributors and the channel have a
responsibility not just to supply products
but to educate end users on what’s
available so that they can make an
educated decision. It’s our responsibility
and we should always strive to do a better
job. We focus very much on education, but
we can always do more.
TR
: With so much choice in the PC
market, what are the key growth areas?
SH:
2-in-1 is a key growth driver, albeit
from a very small base – Microsoft is
leading the charge in that space with
Surface. The desktop market is challenging,
but all-in-ones will continue to be a
positive form factor there. Then, there’s the
gaming side of things, from high end, high
spec notebooks to desktop devices.
SB:
From a revenue perspective, gaming
is one of the biggest growth areas and it’s
going to be very, very big in 2017 thanks to
Virtual Reality (VR) and the introduction of
The PC market has been under pressure
for some time, so much so that Gartner
recently described the existing model as
‘broken’ (see page 30). However, not all
is doom and gloom. Worldwide PC sales
were down year-on-year in Q3, but not
by as much as many had feared, and for
IDC’s Loren Loverde, vice president of
Worldwide PC Trackers & Forecasting,
there is much to be optimistic about.
“Industry efforts to update
products, to leverage new
processors and operating
systems, to deliver a better
computing experience
encompassing more mobile,
secure, and faster systems,
and to accelerate PC
replacements have been
critical. These improvements
are accumulating, and set the
stage for a stronger market
going forward,” she said. Her
optimism is shared by Simon
Barnard, General Manager of Computing
at Exertis, who points out that people have
been writing off the PC market for all 16
years he’s been in the industry.
Technology
Reseller
recently caught up with Simon and
Exertis Business Development Manager
Steve Hewins to find out more about the
opportunities that still exist in the PC
market.
Technology Reseller (TR)
:
Why have PC sales been
declining?
Simon Barnard (SB):
PC
sales have been declining,
in unit sales and in terms of
revenue, in part due to the
pressure on budgets and the
drive to cut costs. Combined
with that, you are seeing
growth in other markets. If you
go back five years, a laptop/
mobile computer typically
had a big 15in screen and
weighed about two kilos. Today, devices are
much thinner, much lighter; there’s a bigger
drive around portability; and, importantly,
users are becoming far more tech-savvy.
Today, they tend to buy high ticket value
products that perhaps last a bit longer, and
that’s driving overall numbers down.
In the business arena, IT managers
Simon Barnard,
General Manager,
Computing,
Exertis
Steve Hewins,
Business Development
Manager,
Exertis
