Desktop still in the lead, but laptop is on the rise
In Belgium, the desktop still leads the ranking of business end-user systems. But the laptop is on the rise. Dell and HP are the most common vendors for desktops, thin clients and laptops. Apple is the number one supplier of tablets. This is evident from a market analysis by data driven marketing specialist Smart Profile, in which more than 4,858 Belgian companies with more than 50 employees were questioned.
Of the total number of computer systems in the business market, the desktop takes 58 percent. This makes it the most common business computer system. But since the measurements in 2010 there has been a downward trend, which has remained fairly stable over the past four years. In proportion to the decrease, we see an increase in the number of laptops, which occupy a third of the market (34%). The growth that thin clients and tablets have experienced in recent years, however, appears to have stagnated, and tablets has even seen a slight decrease.
Although the desktop loses market share every year, in 2018 it will still be used by 92% of the companies surveyed. Looking at the sectors, there are generally few differences. The manufacturing sector, where 95% of the organizations use desktops, stands out here. The ICT & utilities sector experienced the largest decrease: from 91.2% in 2011 to 77% in 2018.
Laptops are used by 92% of the business locations surveyed. However, this percentage has remained unchanged in recent years. In terms of sectors, too, little or no difference is noticeable here.
Remarkably, the number of business tablets is decreasing. From 29% in 2016 to 22% in 2018. Like last year, thin clients represent 7% of the total number of end-user systems. About a quarter of the organizations (23%) say that they have thin clients in-house.
Vendors
The end-user hardware market is occupied by a limited number of players. Apple remains a leader in the Belgian business tablet market with 66%, but does take a reduction in share of 5%. Apple is followed by Samsung (14%) and Microsoft (6%), who both saw their share rise slightly. Apple also has the upper hand in the various sectors, except in the health sector, where 49% prefer Samsung.
HP and Dell are the main players regarding desktops, with 37.9% and 36.7% respectively. Priminfo is the third player, with a share of 11.5%. In the government sector, it even prevails with 32.2%. HP (40.7%) and Dell (37.4%) also play the main role when looking at laptops. However, here Lenovo takes third place (15.4%) and we see that Fujitsu is the only manufacturer that saw its limited share continue to shrink (from 4.9% in 2011 to 2.7% in 2018).
Regarding thin clients HP and Dell share the first place with each 35.1% of the total. IGEL comes in a respectable third place with 18% and saw its share increase by 10% in 8 years.
