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Lenovo, HP Battle for PC Shipment Top Spot

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Lenovo held onto the top position with Worldwide PC shipments 13.4M units, and grew 3.4%, and closely followed by HP which shipped nearly 13 million PCs with growth surpassing 3%.

Meanwhile, worldwide PC shipments totaled 68.5 million units in the first quarter of 2015 (1Q15), a year-on-year decline of -6.7%, and slightly ahead of previous projections, according to the International Data Corporation (IDC) Worldwide Quarterly PC Tracker.

Following a strong second half of 2014, which benefitted from the tailwind of the Windows XP refresh and pockets of price-driven consumer activity, the Q1 market faced multiple headwinds – including inventory build-up of Windows Bing based notebooks, commercial slow down following the XP refresh and constrained demand in many regions due to currency fluctuations and unfavorable economic indicators.

As a result, growth and volume declined with Q1 shipments below 69 million units, the lowest recorded volume since Q1 2009.

“Despite the decline, PC shipment in the United States declined at a slower rate than all other regions in first quarter, outperforming worldwide trends for the eleventh consecutive quarter. The strength from key vendors, adoption of emerging products, improvements in the consumer market and in the broader economy are all positive signals,” said Rajani Singh, senior research analyst, Personal Computing.

Singh added that, “The upcoming launch of Windows 10 will consolidate the best of Windows 7 and Windows 8.1. In addition to the free upgrade for consumers for a year after the release, Windows 10 should be a net positive as there is pent-up demand for replacements of older PCs. Only part of the installed base needs to replace systems to keep the overall growth rate above zero for rest of the year.”

“Although shipments did exceed an already cautious forecast, the market unfortunately remains heavily dependent on pricing being a major driver, with entry SKU volume masking a still tenuous demand for higher priced systems that is needed to sustain a more diverse PC ecosystem. Pricing pressure is bringing many premium SKUs into formerly mid-level pricing tiers,” said Jay Chou, Senior Research Analyst, Worldwide PC Trackers. “As more vendors find it increasingly difficult to compete, we can expect additional consolidation in the PC market.”

Regional Highlights

United States – With shipments totaling 14.2 million PCs in 1Q 2015, the U.S. market shrank -1.0% from the same quarter a year ago.

Growth was centered in portables, particularly around emerging product categories such as Chromebooks, Bing, Ultraslims and Convertibles. Desktop shipments were also relatively sluggish this quarter.

Europe, Middle East, and Africa (EMEA) – Shipments of personal computers in EMEA contracted in the first quarter of 2015, as vendors focused on depleting attractively priced Bing inventory built up during 4Q 2014.

The end of Bing promotions on 15 inch notebooks, unfavorable currency exchange rates and consequently an increase in prices of components, all led to a rise of average selling prices and decline in PC shipments.

In addition, growth was constrained by a difficult year-on-year comparison. Where year-ago shipments were boosted by the end of support for Windows XP, those replacements have declined significantly in the current quarter – particularly in the commercial desktop segment.

Asia/Pacific (excluding Japan) – volume was close to expectations as scaled-back IT spending due to the ongoing currency fluctuation hit many countries in the region.

Outside of the Lunar New Year effect, China was also impacted by excess commercial notebook inventory from earlier quarters as the anti-corruption campaign continues to suppress commercial spending.

Japan – volume declined -44% from a year ago, a bit worse than forecast.

A strong Q1 2014 was significantly bolstered by commercial projects and consumer buy-in before a tax-hike, which set the stage for very difficult year-over-year comparisons.

A weak Yen further dampened purchasing across segments.

Vendor Highlights

Lenovo held onto the top position with 13.4M units, and grew 3.4%.

The vendor continued to aggressively court expansion outside of Asia, especially closing the gap with competition in EMEA.

The company also moved ahead of Apple to capture the third position in the U.S.

HP remained in the number two position, shipping nearly 13 million PCs with growth surpassing 3%, driven primarily by resilient growth in US and EMEA.

Although growth slowed from earlier in the year, HP & Lenovo continued to outpace the market and their nearest competitors.

Dell came in at the number 3 position, shipping over 9.2 million units, registering a year-over-year decline of -6.3%, its first negative quarter since 2013Q2.

Strong results in the U.S. and EMEA in Q1 2014 contributed to a poor year-over-year comparison.

Acer though the vendor continued to see good acceptance of its Chrome offerings, Acer shipments slowed in the first quarter – particularly in EMEA where it had seen a strong rebound in mid-2014 but faced pressure from other market leaders in the fourth quarter.

ASUS had a solid quarter with worldwide volume of 4.8 million and growth of 4.4%, supported by growth in Asia. This brought the company just behind Acer – effectively a tie for fourth place.

 


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NRC, Ponzi Scheme Collapses Resulting Loss of Billions of Naira

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National Reading Culture (NRC), an online investment platform targeting Nigerians has collapsed, resulting in the loss of billions of Naira for investors.

NRC, Ponzi Scheme Collapses Resulting Loss of Billions of Naira

The website unexpectedly shut down, blocking users from withdrawing their funds and locking in their investments.

Just like all other investment scams, victims were lured with promises of doubling their money in few weeks.

When National Reading Culture eventually crashed, the operators vanished with users’ funds, leaving investors devastated.

How the Platform WorkedTask-Based Earning:

According findings, National Reading Culture lured users with promises of making money by completing simple daily tasks like reading articles, clicking links, or inviting friends.

They also offered investment tiers to  earn higher daily profits, where users had to deposit their own money into the platform.

Evidence showed the website previously operated as a Chinese job search platform before rebranding into an “earning” scheme.


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NSITF Partners South African Insurer on Digital Transformation

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The Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF) has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Rand Mutual Assurance (RMA) to collaborate on digital transformation aimed at strengthening worker protection systems and support economic growth.

According to RMA, the agreement was concluded during a visit by its delegation to Abuja.

The partnership will focus on institutional capability development, modernising operating models, improving service delivery and sharing knowledge between the two organisations.

Through the partnership, RMA and NSITF will collaborate to strengthen institutional capability, modernise operating models, accelerate digital transformation and improve services for workers and employers.

The organisations will also explore opportunities for knowledge exchange and the adoption of best practices in social security administration.

RMA said the agreement forms part of its broader engagement with governments, regulators and social security institutions across Africa to support improvements in governance, operational resilience and service delivery.

“Our partnership with NSITF reflects much more than the signing of an agreement,” said Mandla Shezi, group chief executive officer of RMA. “This partnership is not simply about sharing knowledge. It is about co-creating the next generation of African social security systems.”

He added: “By combining our respective strengths, we can help build institutions that are more resilient, more responsive and better equipped to protect workers while supporting national development.”

Shezi said the future of social security depends on integrated systems where prevention, insurance, healthcare, rehabilitation, technology, investment management and institutional capability work together.

 


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Senate Rejects Nationalisation of MTN, DStv Over Xenophobic Attacks on Nigerians in South Africa

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Senate on Tuesday rejected calls for the nationalisation of South African-owned companies operating in Nigeria, including MTN and DStv, as a retaliatory measure against renewed xenophobic attacks on Nigerians in South Africa.

Senate Rejects Nationalisation of MTN, DStv Over Xenophobic Attacks on Nigerians in South Africa

The upper chamber, however, condemned the attacks and intimidation of Nigerians and other African nationals in South Africa, urging the Federal Government to intensify diplomatic efforts to secure the safety of Nigerians living in the country.

The resolutions followed a motion titled: “Motion on the Need to Halt the Recurring Xenophobic Attacks and Intimidation Against Nigerians and Other African Nationals in the Republic of South Africa,” sponsored by Senator Asuquo Ekpenyong (APC-Cross River South).

The motion was triggered by renewed concerns over attacks against foreign nationals in South Africa following the expiration of a June 30, 2026 deadline reportedly issued by some vigilante groups asking foreigners to leave the country.

During the debate, Senator Wasiu Eshilokun proposed that South African companies operating in Nigeria should be nationalised, while Senator Adams Oshiomhole suggested that profits generated by South African firms could be appropriated to compensate Nigerians who suffered losses if the South African government failed to provide compensation.

Oshiomhole argued that Nigerians should not continue to bear the consequences of attacks against their businesses and lives while South African companies operating in Nigeria continued to make profits.

He said the government should consider using profits from affected companies to compensate victims if South Africa refused to address the losses suffered by Nigerians.

However, the Senate declined the proposal, opting instead for diplomatic engagement and further investigation into the attacks.

Presiding over plenary, Deputy Senate President Barau Jibrin cautioned lawmakers against relying on unverified social media reports and urged a careful approach to the matter.

Jibrin said Nigeria must condemn attacks against its citizens but should allow relevant committees to complete their investigations before taking further actions.

He directed the Senate Committees on Foreign Affairs and Diaspora and Non-Governmental Organisations to review previous resolutions on the matter and submit a report within two weeks.

The Senate also urged the Federal Government, through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Nigerian High Commission in South Africa, to obtain written assurances from South African authorities on the protection of Nigerians and demand the arrest and prosecution of persons responsible for violence, intimidation and looting.

The lawmakers further called for collaboration with other African countries and relevant continental institutions to establish effective mechanisms for monitoring and preventing xenophobic attacks.

Senator Ekpenyong had earlier raised concerns that the attacks were no longer limited to undocumented migrants but had extended to Nigerians with valid work and residence permits.

He described the situation as a threat to the dignity and safety of Nigerians abroad, urging the government to take stronger measures to protect citizens.

The Senate’s latest action comes amid renewed public anger over attacks targeting Nigerians and other foreigners in South Africa, with lawmakers insisting that diplomatic solutions should be prioritised over economic retaliation.


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