Slovakia is a state in Central Europe with a popular of over five million people. Thanks to Windows XP’s end of support and cheaper Windows 8 devices, Slovakia has seen a increase in PC shipments after six straight quarters of declining market share. In fact, the Slovak PC market increased in volume by 21% year on year in the first quarter of 2014.
“The market was driven by transitions to a newer Windows OS versions (either Win7 or Win8), as Microsoft ended its support of Windows XP in April. Vendors also increased shipments of new PCs due to Microsoft’s price reduction of Windows 8; some were also compelled to do so in order to meet end-of-fiscal-year targets set by their global or regional HQs,” IDC stated on May 19th.
The top PC vendors in Slovakia as of Q1 2014 include Lenovo with a 25.50% share, HP with a 20.70% share, Acer with a 16% share, and 37.80% comprising of other vendors. Seven out of ten PCs that were sold were notebooks, but the desktop market also saw an improvement.
Microsoft ended support for Windows XP on April 8th, which along with the price reduction of Windows 8, has helped Slovakia’s PC market see an increase for the first time in six quarters.
Further reading: Windows 8.1, Windows XP
