All-in-one PCs show strong growth

All-in-one PCs enjoyed a 57% growth in sales from 2008 to 2009, led by Apple and its continued strong iMac sales. HP, Dell, Lenovo, Acer (including its Gateway and Packard Bell brands) contributed to this growth, as well as second-tier brands such as MSI.

According to the DisplaySearch Q1’10 Quarterly Desktop Monitor Shipment and Forecast Report, portfolios from major and minor brands indicate expansion to include consumer AIO PC products, as well as commercial AIO PCs - resulting in growth rates for this market approaching those of notebook PCs.

More attractive industrial designs and more powerful and affordable processors from mobile PCs are bringing the advantages of small form factors to the home or office without the need to worry about battery life or portability.

While the steady growth of AIO PCs continues, so does the debate over incorporating touch as a PC interface in such products. “Most see touch as a nice alternative interface for stationary or larger size personal computer products, but not as a substitute for the tried-and-true keyboard and mouse,” says the report.

The adoption of touch by AIO PCs increased in 2009, as many vendors added this capability to their products. While their expectations for AIO PCs with touch are currently low, they expect it will become a more common interface for personal computing in years to come.

As Apple does not offer touch-screen versions of the iMac, the penetration rate of touch in AIO PCs is modest, with the share worldwide in Q4’09 at 22.4%. Among Windows-based PCs, the penetration of touch into AIOs in Q4’09 was 37.7%. North America and EMEA are the dominant regions for AIO PCs, heavily influenced by Apple iMac sales.

For non-Apple AIO PCs, regional splits still favour the NA and EMEA regions (25% and 27%) but China and Japan are strong markets as well, with 19% and 17% shares of the AIO PCs shipped in 2009. Regional penetration of touch for AIO PCs is only 2% for China vs 24% for North America.

Both touch-enabled and standard AIO PCs are forecast to show continued strength in the coming years, as brands are now able to reach a wide variety of price points and design aesthetics to attract consumer and commercial users. Growth rates are now forecast to lag behind only the fastest-growing mini-note/slate PC category.