Fresh new wind of AI: IT innovations and classics in the 2nd quarter of 2024
Solid Performance: The ITscope Market Barometer for the second quarter of 2024 reveals a steady interest in IT products, despite Q2 traditionally being a slower period in the IT industry. A positive trend can be observed, particularly in the tablet category. Oliver Gorges, Director of Sales & Marketing at ITscope, attributes the growing demand to the AI boom. “
Despite economic challenges, we are seeing an increase in click rates, especially on new and innovative products with AI capabilities.”
ITscope Market barometer Q2/2024 as a PDF
The ITscope market barometer is based on ITscope GmbH’s own analysis.
Surging figures in the realm of IT
The stable performance in the IT sector confirms the current forecast by Bitkom, predicting a growth of 4.3 percent to 224.8 billion euros in the German IT and telecommunications market by 2024.
Particularly, the revenues from software and AI technologies are on the rise. “AI-powered PCs are not just a passing trend but a long-term investment,” emphasizes Oliver Gorges, Director of Sales & Marketing at ITscope. The ITscope platform shows a positive trend, especially in the click rates in the categories of notebooks, PC systems, and tablets, reflecting the growing importance of AI in these areas.
Turbo in the IT sector: AI as an innovation booster
In the IT industry, AI is indispensable, and manufacturers are responding accordingly. While Apple has announced “Apple Intelligence” for new devices, Samsung is showcasing “Galaxy AI.” In the realms of notebooks and PC systems, new models equipped with powerful technology supporting AI are seeing high sales figures. Some of these devices come with their own AI button, offering smart features for productivity enhancement and energy efficiency. For instance, the high-flying notebook of the quarter, the Lenovo ThinkPad E16 Gen 2, features an AI-controlled Intel Core Ultra processor. Oliver Gorges emphasizes, “The integration of AI in notebooks and tablets is a crucial factor for their current success.”
Leading the pack: Apple dominates with new iPads and accessories
The newly launched Apple products, particularly the iPads, are gaining increased attention, especially the 13-inch iPad Pro, which competes with notebooks with its powerful M4 processor and OLED display. Other Apple releases are also garnering interest, such as the Apple Pencil Pro M2 and the Apple Magic Keyboard, both accessories for the new tablets and the iPhone 15 Pro Max. The lack of compatibility with older products may also be driving high click rates here: for example, the new Apple Pencil is not compatible with old iPads, and old pencils do not work with the new iPad. The smartphone high-flyer this quarter is the Samsung Galaxy A55. The flagship of Samsung’s mid-range smartphones is the top-performing mobile phone not originating from Apple.
Printers and multifunction devices accelerate: From pit stop to success
Despite the current AI boom, there are also new developments in traditional categories. Particularly noteworthy is the surprising resurgence in the Printer/Multifunction sector. Often considered obsolete, the market is experiencing a new spring due to the demand for affordable, high-performance devices. Cost-effective multifunction devices that can print, scan, and fax are especially popular. The continued relevance of fax functionality in 2024 is evidenced by a recent survey by Bitkom, which found that 3 out of 4 offices still utilize faxing. It comes as no surprise then that both the top-performing model of the quarter, the HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M283fdw, and the rising star Brother MFC-L2800DW offer fax capabilities. “The positive progress in traditional categories demonstrates that proven technologies remain relevant, especially when their price-performance ratio is compelling,” commented Oliver Gorges.
Topics in this Market barometer
Highflyer: New products in the fast lane
Tablets: On track for success in the second quarter of 2024
Mobile phones: Top models in a high-speed comparison
Notebooks: Strong performance in Q2 2024
PC systems: Lenovo accelerates in the second quarter
TFTs: The frontrunner stays ahead, but the gap is narrowing
Printers & multifunction devices: Upswing in the category
Graphics cards: top rankings for MSI
Highflyer: New products in the fast lane
In the “Highflyer” category, we present new products that have received a lot of attention on ITscope in the last quarter. One product per category can make it into our top list. These are the most prestigious new IT products in Q2 2024:
Place 1: UbiQuiti U7 Pro
The UbiQuiti U7 Pro leads the high flyers with 2. 033 clicks and shows the growing importance of WiFi 7 in modern IT environments, which ITscope has already explained in the Market Barometer Q1/2024.
Place 2: Samsung Galaxy A55
The Samsung Galaxy A55, a mid-range smartphone, impresses with solid features and a good price-performance ratio. Computerwoche recommends buying the A55. Visual highlight: The A55 comes with a metal casing.
Place 3: Apple Pencil Pro M2
The Apple Pencil Pro M2, which is available as an accessory for the latest iPad models, has made it to third place. It has numerous new features such as squeeze, haptic feedback and rotation detection. Big drawback: The new Pencil Pro is not compatible with older iPads or tablets from other manufacturers and the old Pencils are not compatible with the new models – a fact that directly drives up the click figures for the items.
4th place: Apple 13-inch iPad Pro
The Apple 13-inch iPad Pro is Apple’s new high-end tablet. With an M4 processor and OLED display, it competes with notebooks, but is equipped with Apple iPadOS. More information on the new iPads can be found in the “Tablets” category.
Fifth place: Lenovo ThinkPad E16 Gen 2 21MA
The Lenovo ThinkPad E16 Gen 2 with Intel Core Ultra 5 processor with 1.3 GHz makes it into fifth place in the high-flyer category. Notebookcheck praises the updated ThinkPads in particular for their fully upgradeable RAM with two SO-DIMM slots.
Place 6: Apple Magic Keyboard
In sixth place is the Apple Magic Keyboard, which transforms the iPad 13 into a notebook. Compared to its predecessor, it has more function keys and a larger trackpad. Apple has also changed the orientation of the magnets on the iPad and Magic Keyboard – but the old Magic Keyboard can still be used on the M4 iPad Pro if it is attached correctly. Because: With an average Wholesale selling price (WSP) of €330.26, the Apple keyboard is anything but a cheap input device.
7th place: Samsung 990 EVO SSD graphics card
The Samsung 990 EVO SSD with 1 TB of memory and PCIe 5.0 performed disappointingly in the tests by hardwareLuxx and PCGH, but interest is high on ITscope. According to the testers, the SSD memory lacks cache and the performance fell short of expectations.
Place 8: Dell P2425HE LED monitor
The new 24-inch office monitor from Dell with Full HD (1920 x 1080 px), integrated 90W USB‑C docking station and Ethernet takes eighth place. You can find a direct comparison with ITscope users’ favourite model, the Dell P2422H, in the TFTs category.
9th place: Fractal Design North XL
The Fractal Design North XL PC case has a particularly elegant wood finish. Previously only available as a midi tower, the Swedish manufacturer has now added an XL tower version to its repertoire, which made it straight into the ITscope Highflyer.
10th place: Apple Vision Pro
Officially only available in B2C since 12 July, the Apple Vision Pro has already achieved 10th place in the ITscope Highflyers in the second quarter. Interest in the AR/VR glasses is high despite – or perhaps because of – the limited stock. Computerbild praises the ease of use and the sharp screen of the glasses, but scores points for wearing comfort. The virtual reality headset is currently priced at over 3,000 euros, making it significantly more expensive than comparable products such as the Meta Quest 3 from Oculus (around 600 euros).
See the most active 15 new releases on ITscope – our high-flyers:
| Pos. | Manufacturer and Product description | Category | Listed since | Clicks |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | UbiQuiti UniFi U7 Pro, U7-PRO | Network Equipment | 2024-01-10 | 2033 |
| #2 | Samsung Galaxy A5 5G, 128GB, Blau | Mobile phones | 2024-02-22 | 1265 |
| #3 | Apple Pencil Pro, MX2D3ZM/A | Accessories Notebook | 2024-05-08 | 1200 |
| #4 | Apple 13-inch iPad WIFI Cellular, 13″, 256GB | Tablet PCs | 2024-05-08 | 1038 |
| #5 | Lenovo ThinkPad E16, Core Ultra 5 125U | Notebooks | 2024-04-23 | 980 |
| #6 | Apple Magic Keyboard, MWR53D/A | Input devices | 2024-05-08 | 712 |
| #7 | Samsung 990 EVO, 1TB, NVMe, PCIe 5.0, M.2 2280 | SSDs | 2024-01-03 | 619 |
| #8 | Dell P2425HE, 24″, 210-BMJB | TFTs | 2024-03-30 | 523 |
| #9 | Fractal Design North XL, E‑ATX, FD-C-NOR1X-01 | Case | 2024-02-24 | 313 |
| #10 | Apple Vision Pro (256 GB), MQL83LL/A | Virtual Reality | 2024-02-09 | 298 |
| #11 | HP Pro 400 G9, i5 13500T, 16GB, 512GB | PC systems | 2024-04-18 | 252 |
| #12 | AMD Ryzen 7 5700X3D, 8C, SMT, 96MB L3-Cache | CPUs | 2024-01-03 | 251 |
| #13 | Iiyama ProLite LH5575UHS-B1AG | Digital signage | 2024-03-05 | 218 |
| #14 | Microsoft Surface Pro Keyboard with Slim-Pen2 | Accessories Tablets | 2024-02-08 | 206 |
| #15 | PNY NVIDIA RTX A1000, 8GB GDDR6 | Graphics cards | 2024-04-24 | 186 |
ITscope users can use the link in the table to go directly to the product page in ITscope.
Tablets: On track for success in the second quarter of 2024
Tablets remain in the fast lane in the second quarter of 2024 and continue to show impressive sales figures. A look at the charts and graphs confirms the continued success of this category. The latest models show exciting developments and shifts, particularly in the high-price segment.
New Apple iPads create movement
Apple’s new iPads have been on the market since mid-May and they are already starting to influence the ITscope ranking. The Apple 13-inch iPad Pro has reached 11th place with 1,038 clicks. This high-end device, equipped with an M4 processor and an OLED display, is listed with an average Wholesale selling price (WSP) of €1464.53. Our forecast: the new iPads will be even further ahead in the next quarter. So far, Microsoft has dominated the high-price tablet segment with its Surface Pro models, but this could change with the new Apple devices: With the powerful processor, Apple is increasingly making the iPads competitive with notebooks.
The top tablets on ITscope
As in the first quarter, the Apple iPad Wi-Fi, 10.2″, listed since 2021, remains unchallenged in first place with 12,965 clicks. Even the cheapest 2024 model from Apple, the 11-inch iPad Air, is still significantly more expensive than the all-time favourite with a WSP of €587.39 in 25th place.
The new tablets from Samsung and Microsoft, which were released in autumn 2023, are currently performing even better in the click statistics than the new Apple models. In third place is the Microsoft Surface Pro 10 for Business, which has been listed since February. With an Intel Core Ultra 5 processor and a WSP of €1295.83, it is one of the high-end products in the category. The Samsung Galaxy Tab A9+, a low-cost tablet with a WSP of €157.00, is in fifth place and is also popular in the B2C segment, as evidenced by its high sales rate on Amazon.
The Microsoft Surface Go 4 with 128 and 64 GB of memory occupies 12th and 13th place respectively. The model with 128 GB SSD shows fluctuations in stock and WSP. A test by WinFuture praises the good performance of the device, but criticises the battery life.
Inventory and average Wholesale selling price (WSP) for the Microsoft Surface Go 4 fluctuate in Q2/2024, as the screenshot from the ITscope history shows
Outlook: Movement in the tablet rankings
The tablet market looks promising and dynamic in the next quarter. With the new iPad models, Apple has sent strong candidates into the race that are likely to continue to ensure movement in the top positions. At the same time, Samsung and Microsoft are ready with their tried and tested devices to secure their place in the sales charts. An exciting competition between the new Apple models and the previous top dogs is expected, particularly in the high-price segment. It remains to be seen which innovations and market strategies will ultimately tip the scales.
Mobile phones: Top models in a high-speed comparison
The mobile phone category experienced increased interest in the second quarter of 2024 compared to previous years. The top 5 places are all occupied by Apple, with the Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max with A17 Pro chip holding first place, followed by the Apple iPhone 15. The new AI features announced by Apple, for example for the Siri voice assistant, are generating a great deal of interest. A practical sales argument for the Californian company: “Apple Intelligence” should only be available on very new models, as the old iPhones would be too slow for the AI tools.
The new Apple and Samsung smartphones generate high click figures in Q2
Samsung's challenges and innovations
In order to make its models more attractive, Samsung is increasingly focussing on the use of AI. Nextpit, however, is not yet convinced by the Galaxy AI in a test. At the same time, Samsung is currently facing another challenge: The company has lost a patent lawsuit against Datang Mobile from China at the Munich District Court which could potentially lead to sales being halted. However, Samsung plans to appeal against the judgement.
New Samsung smartphones in the top 10
There are several new Samsung models in the top 10:
- Place 6: Samsung Galaxy A55 – A mid-range smartphone
- Place 8: Samsung Galaxy XCover7 – A robust outdoor smartphone that was rated positively in the test by en.
- Place 9: Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra – The flagship model that came in first place in the test at Chip.de.
- Place 10: Samsung Galaxy S24 – A compact smartphone that received a score of 1.3 in the test by Computer Bild.
A common feature of many Samsung smartphones in the top 10 is the dual SIM functionality, which is seen as an advantage over Apple. However, this is becoming less important due to the increasing spread of eSIM.
Notebooks: Strong performance in Q2 2024
The second quarter of 2024 was significantly better for notebooks than in previous years. The Lenovo ThinkBook 16p G4 with an i9 processor and a WSP of €1595.32 took first place. The Lenovo ThinkPad E16 Gen follows in second place with 4007 clicks, far ahead of the Dell Latitude 5540 in third place with 2001 clicks. The Apple MacBook Pro with M3 Pro chip achieved 1,934 clicks in Q2. Apple fans are eagerly awaiting the autumn, as rumours are circulating about the introduction of the new MacBook model with the M4 chip.
The number of clicks on notebooks in Q2 2024 is higher than in the same period in previous years
HP ProBooks strongly represented
HP is also well represented in the top 10 with its ProBooks: The HP ProBook 455 G10 makes it to 4th place. The HP ProBook 450 G9, a model from December 2023 with an integrated Intel Iris Xe graphics card and an i5 1235U processor in 6th place. In the test from imtest.de, it received a score of 2.2, with the battery, charging times and connections being positively emphasised, while the trackpad and display were criticised. Right behind it in the top list is the HP ProBook 450 G10.
Lenovo: Success despite headwinds
The Lenovo ThinkPad T14 Gen 4 21K3, which has been on the market since October 2023, has worked its way up to 12th place in the sales charts. This model with AMD Ryzen 7 Pro received a “very good” rating from notebookcheck.com and performed better than the variant with an Intel CPU. Lenovo’s mobile-capable notebooks are currently at a standstill, however, as the company has lost a patent dispute with the US company InterDigital and is no longer allowed to sell some products with 4G and 5G mobile technology in Germany. Lenovo is working to reach a fair licence agreement and has appealed against the ruling. Exciting: Just like Samsung’s patent rights dispute, the Lenovo trial is also being conducted before the Munich I Regional Court.
PC systems: Lenovo accelerates in the second quarter
Despite a slight decline compared to the previous quarter, PC systems recorded higher sales figures in the second quarter of 2024 than in previous years. The previous quarter’s runner-up, the Lenovo ThinkCentre M70q Gen4 12E3 with an i5 processor with 1.3 GHz and an average WSP of €584.05, moved into first place. The HP Pro 400 G9 Wolf Pro follows directly behind, also with an i5 processor and a WSP of €532.54, which comes with a 1‑year licence for HP Wolf Security as standard.
Other Lenovo systems in the top 15:
In addition to the front-runner, there are numerous other new Lenovo systems in the top 15. It is particularly interesting to look at the average WSP: While the price of the Lenovo ThinkCentre M70t Gen 4 Tower and the M75q Gen 2 with Ryzen processor has fallen, the ThinkCentre M70q Gen4 has increased in price. According to ChannelObserver, Lenovo is expecting additional growth from new AI PCs in the future.
The history on the ITscope platform shows interesting developments in the average WSP for Lenovo complete systems: For the M70t (left) the price decreased, for the M70q (right) it increased
- Place 6: Lenovo M75q – AMD R5
- Place 7: Lenovo M70q – Core i5
- Place 10: Lenovo ThinkCentre M70t Gen 4 – Core i5
- Place 11: Lenovo ThinkCentre M70q Gen4 12E3 – Core i5
- Place 12: Lenovo ThinkCentre M70q Gen4 12E3 – Core i3
- Place 13: Lenovo ThinkCentre M70q Gen4 12E3 – Core i7
- Place 15: Lenovo ThinkCentre neo 50t Gen 4 12JD – Core i5
TFTs: The frontrunner stays ahead, but the gap is narrowing
The Dell P2422H continues to clearly lead the field of TFT monitors with 5,431 clicks. However, the all-star may soon have competition from within its own ranks, as Dell has launched the P2425HE, which has made it into the ITscope Highflyers of the Quarter. The newcomer trumps the old model with a higher refresh rate of 100 Hz, Low Blue Light technology, a fully-fledged docking station with 90 watts and an Ethernet connection. However, the P2425HE also has a higher power consumption and therefore a lower energy efficiency class (D instead of C) than the P2422H.
Direct Product comparison of the Dell P2422H with the new P2425HE via the ITscope platform. The difference in the energy efficiency class, for example, is striking.
New TFTs push to the front
While tried-and-tested models have mostly led the way in recent years, more and more new TFTs are pushing their way into the top 10 in the second quarter of 2024. The main reason for this is the low Wholesale selling price of the new models. Most of these screens offer cost-effective standard specifications such as Full HD (1920 x 1080), which is sufficient for many office tasks.
These are the newcomers in the monitor top 15:
- Place 3: HP E24 G5
- Place 6: HP E27 G5
- Place 8: iiyama ProLite XUB2493HSU-B6
- Place 11: HP E27Q G5
- Place 13: LG 24BN65YP‑B
Growth in screen sizes
The ITscope analysis of the most popular screen sizes shows that monitors smaller than 24 inches will hardly be in demand in 2024. 24-inch monitors will remain stable with a market share of 45%. The share of 27-inch monitors has fallen slightly compared to the previous year (from 37% to 32%), while 32-inch screens and larger models have increased (from 17% to 23%). The screen sizes of the top 100 models on ITscope were analysed in the second quarter of each year. Despite the increasing popularity of larger screens, the average prices for them have not fallen. On the contrary, in Q2 2024 there was an increase in the average cost of 27-inch monitors compared to the previous year, whereas 24-inch monitors became cheaper.
Comparison of the TFT sizes of the top 100 products on ITscope in the second quarter of 2023 compared to the second quarter of 2024
Printers & multifunction devices: Upswing in the category
According to the motto “Those believed dead live longer”, the market for printers and multifunctional devices showed a positive trend again in the second quarter of 2024. According to the ITscope analysis, the category is receiving increased attention, which is reflected in rising click figures. Although many companies have reduced their paper consumption, the demand for durable, versatile printer hardware remains high – the back-to-office trend is fuelling this development. The ITscope analysis also shows that low-cost multifunctional devices that can do everything are popular: Printing, scanning and – actually still in 2024 – faxing. A Survey by Bitkom also confirms this: Faxing is still used in 3 out of 4 offices. The HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M283fdw fulfils all criteria and once again leads the top list.
In the Printer category, the curve is pointing upwards again.
A rise: Brother MFC-L2800DW
A notable climber this quarter is the MFC-L2800DW, Brother’s affordable black and white multifunction laser printer. In the second quarter, it was viewed 1,078 times on the ITscope platform. In a test report from heise.de, it is praised for its fast text print quality and multifunctional capabilities: “prints text quickly in good quality, scans, copies and replaces a fax machine. It is weaker when it comes to flat graphics and photos,” the testers concluded.
Place 14: HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP 4302fdw
Another printer worth mentioning is the HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP 4302fdw, which is particularly praised for its colour print quality and fast duplex printing. A reader test on druckerchannel.de highlights: “The colour printing is impressive, and the speed of duplex printing makes it an excellent workhorse.” This printer ranks 14th and is characterised by features such as private printing with PIN entry and double-sided scanning/copying, which sets it apart from cheaper models, such as the first-placed HP LaserJet Pro MFP M283fdw, and makes it particularly efficient and versatile in everyday office use.
Graphics cards: top rankings for MSI
In the second quarter of 2024, the MSI 24GB D6X RTX 4090 Gaming X Trio as in Q1 Graphics card ranking. The high-performance graphics card with an average WSP of €1636.98 was viewed 1861 times on ITscope. MSI has been very successful with its new models this quarter – five models make it into the top 15:
- Place 2: MSI GeForce RTX 4060 VENTUS 2X BLACK 8G OC
- Place 3: MSI GeForce RTX 4070 Ti SUPER 16G VENTUS 2X OC
- Place 7: MSI GeForce RTX 4090 VENTUS 3X E 24G OC
- Place 11: MSI GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER 16G GAMING X SLIM
- Place 12: MSI GeForce RTX 4090 GAMING X SLIM 24G
Focus on Nvidia graphics cards
It is becoming increasingly difficult to find an MSI with an AMD Radeon GPU. MSI has now confirmed that its focus is now on Nvidia GeForce graphics cards and that these will be prioritised. “Our current focus in the section of graphics cards is actually more on RTX cards,” quotes Hardwareluxx. MSI is by no means the only company to rely on Nvidia. In the last market barometer, ITscope analysed Nvidia’s strong market position and rising GPU prices. The latest market capitalisation of Nvidia of over 3 trillion dollars illustrates its supremacy.
Note: Wholesale selling prices (WSP) as at 01/07/2024
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About the ITscope Market barometer
ITscope is one of the leading platforms for IT procurement and sales in the B2B sector. It provides valuable support to system houses, resellers, distributors, and manufacturers in their digitalization efforts. One of the highlights of ITscope is its quarterly publication, the ITscope Market Barometer, which offers intriguing insights into the ever-evolving ICT industry. This includes identifying the most sought-after products among B2B customers and monitoring the fluctuating purchase prices of smartphones, notebooks, and processors. With its comprehensive market analysis, ITscope offers exclusive and valuable insights into the sales trends and market dynamics of the channel.