ITscope market barometer Q1/2023

We are thrilled to share with you the latest ITscope market barometer Q1/2023 that gives a comprehensive overview of the top-selling and emerging products in the IT market for the first quarter of the year. In this edition, we delve into nine different categories on ITscope and provide insightful analysis.

ITscope market barometer Q1/2023 as a PDF (Englisch)

The ITscope market barometer is a comprehensive analysis conducted by ITscope GmbH, providing valuable insights into the latest trends and developments in the tech industry.

Karlsruhe, 20.04.2023 – With World Backup Day being observed on March 31, we decided to delve deeper into the key hardware components for backups in this market report. Our attention is focused on storage systems, which are essential digital data storage solutions that play a crucial role in ensuring data security and protection.

The storage systems category is usually what you want your storage architecture to be: stable. The volume of digital data generated annually is steadily increasing in the process:The International Data Corporation (IDC) expects an annual increase of 25%,  and estimates that global data volume will grow by about 25% annually, reaching more than 180 ZB in 2025. Moreover,the complexity of backups is increasing, but the hardware requirements in the data protection section remain about the same. As technology advances, faster processors and larger storage capacities are expected, but the primary concern when choosing a storage system is always security. It comes as no surprise that well-established and reliable brands like Synology and QNAP dominate the market as leading manufacturers. The most clicked storage system on the ITscope platform comes from Synology: the Synology DiskStation DS220+ has held the top position since the beginning of 2022. Relatively new, however, is the second most popular product in Q1 2023: The Synology Disk Station DS923+ relies on an AMD Ryzen R1600 dual-core processor. 

The category of complete systems is experiencing a significant shift towards mini-PCs, which are now so powerful that they can compete with traditional desktop computers. These compact marvels can easily sit on your desk and are a cost-effective alternative to laptops. It's no wonder they're becoming a popular choice in the market. The new front-runner in the complete systems category is the HP Pro Mini 400 G9, i5 2GHz. But Lenovo's 3rd generation of the popular ThinkCentre. generation of the popular ThinkCentre M70qis already on its way up. 

Claiming the top spot as the most popular new product on ITscope platform for 2023 with an impressive 2,622 clicks so far is the Microsoft Surface Pro 9 for Business, followed by the Apple MacBook Pro, which also made it into the category's top 10 straight away. For those seeking the ultimate performance in a notebook, the M2-Pro CPU model is sure to impress. However, such power comes at a cost, with a Wholesale selling price (WSP) of 1,735 € as of 18.04.2023.

Content

Highflyer: Soaring to new heights with IT updates in 2023.
TFTs: Tried-and-tested front-runners
Mobile phones: Weak start for the Samsung Galaxy S23
Tablets: The iPad remains the undisputed champion
Notebooks: Lenovo's ThinkPad goes through the roof
PC systems: Mini is maxing out
Graphic cards: Strong performance with Ada-Lovelace GPU
Processors: Intel overtakes AMD
Multifunction Printers: Popular HP Color LaserJet Pro finally back
Storage systems: Stability is trump

Highflyer: Soaring to new heights with IT updates in 2023.

ITscope Highflyers are the top products that ITscope users access frequently within the first six months of their launch on the platform. Our quarterly top 30 list showcases the most popular new products in each category.

The Microsoft Surface Pro 9 for Business is the clear leader in the tablet category, with its powerful 12th generation Intel Core processor and 2-in-1 design that allows for optional keyboard and pen operation. While its improvements over previous models may not be immediately visible, the Surface Pro 9's use of Alder Lake U processors from Intel make it a high-flyer in terms of performance.

Place 2 goes to the Apple MacBook Pro. The M2 Pro variant of the high-performance notebook takes performance to the next level compared to last summer's models with M2 chips. Although the jump from M1 to M2 Pro may not be as substantial, the overall package is still impressive and convincing.. The MacBook Pro impresses with strong computing power and long battery life. 

With 996 clicks, the Synology Disk Station DS923+ is way ahead in the high-flyer charts. The Storage System relies on an AMD Ryzen R1600 as its main processor and has four drive bays, two M.2 slots and two Gigabit network ports. The update to its predecessor DS920+ is being received with great interest. Read more about Synology's storage system in the category.

In the race for the most-clicked new graphics card, the ZOTAC GAMING GeForce RTX 4070 Ti Trinity OC has come out on top. In the test from Chip, the magazine attests to the RTX 4070 Ti's good performance even at 4K resolutions and reports very quiet operation with moderate energy efficiency.  

The market for TFT monitors in the office environment is generally rather quiet. So it is all the more pleasing that Iiyama is launching a new model for business with the ProLite XUB2493HS-B5. Not only is the 24-inch office monitor affordable, but it also boasts a pivot function that allows it to be used in portrait mode. Its adjustable stand makes it ideal for multi-monitor setups, and it comes with built-in speakers, a headphone jack, and HDMI and DisplayPort connections.

There is also news in the printer section: Epson makes it onto ITscope's high flyer list with the Epson WorkForce Pro WF- C5890DWF  . The multifunction printer is said to replace the WF- 6590DWF in the higher-end segment. This makes it a powerful and flexible ink printer for the office. 

In the complete systems, Apple makes it onto the winner's podium with the Mac mini. The mini PC with M2 processor impresses with its high working speed, but cannot be upgraded with RAM. In the test by Computerbild, the midget therefore only scored 2.6. Nevertheless, the Mac Mini is well suited for everyday business use, especially since it operates very quietly and consumes comparatively little power.

See here the most active 30 new releases with hot-seller potential - our highflyers:

TFTs: Tried-and-tested front-runners 

For the past two years, the Dell P2422H has remained the unrivaled favorite monitor of ITscope users. The TFT category does not present any shocking surprises, as the top monitors with 24 and 27 inch screen diagonals from Dell, Lenovo, Samsung, and HP continue to dominate the market. Making a bold entrance at number 22 is the Iiyama ProLite XUB2493HS-B5, our standout TFT performer of the quarter. Priced at a Wholesale Selling Price (WSP) of €124.37 (as of 30/03/2023), this monitor offers an affordable solution to outfitting office workstations with multiple screens. Its impressive features and sleek design make it a welcomed addition to any workspace.

Mobile phones: Weak start for the Samsung Galaxy S23

Dominating the smartphone category in Q1 2023 with 2,342 clicks, the Apple iPhone 14 Pro with 256 GB of storage outshines all its competitors, including its own. Not surprisingly, the Californian manufacturer also takes the second and third spots with the iPhone 13, and the compact iPhone SE.

Rumour has it that no new SE model will be released until 2025, which is likely to keep demand for the 3rd generation constant.  

The brand new Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra is ranked 17th, while the slightly smaller version, the Samsung Galaxy S23, is ranked 26th. Despite receiving overwhelmingly positive feedback, the Samsung Galaxy S23's ranking is not very favorable. Giga even writes, "Currently, there is hardly an Android smartphone that offers a better overall package." The S23 boasts a long battery life, impressive performance, high-quality display, and excellent camera, but the biggest drawback is its steep price tag. With a Wholesale selling price (WSP) of €689 for the S23 and €1047.50 for the S23 Ultra (as of 17.04.2023), it puts the Ultra model on par with the iPhone 14 Pro, which is available for €1039. Despite its drawbacks, the S23 and S23 Ultra still offer remarkable features and should not be overlooked by consumers seeking a top-of-the-line Android smartphone. Most other Android smartphones are significantly cheaper, such as the Google Pixel 7 Pro, (€629 WSP).

With 431 clicks, the Google Pixel 7 Pro climbs from 33rd to 24th place in the top list. The Google smartphone convinces with strong graphics performance, up-to-date software and AI features from Google. It also has a versatile camera system and a bright OLED display.

Tablets: The iPad remains the undisputed champion

With a staggering 11,754 clicks in the first quarter of 2023, the Apple iPad Wi-Fi, 10.2" continues to reign supreme as the most popular tablet PC on the ITscope platform, receiving five times more views than the second-placed tablet. Its popularity in the market is a testament to its superior performance and features, making it the go-to choice for many consumers.

The new Microsoft Surface Pro 9 for Business made it to second place, our top highflyer of the month. The powerful and versatile tablet is designed specifically for business use. It features a powerful 12th generation Intel Core processor. The 12.3-inch display offers high resolution and can be precisely controlled with the Surface Pen. The 2-in-1 tablet also has a variety of ports, including USB-C and USB-A, making connectivity easy. 

However, Microsoft's previous version, the Microsoft Surface Pro 8 also holds its own in the top list: the version with 16 GB of RAM and Windows 11 Pro even climbs from 38th to 4th place. Compared to the Surface Pro 9, the Pro 8 has a slightly weaker 11th-generation Intel CPU. Less in demand in 2023 is the Microsoft Surface Pro 8 with Windows 10, which was second in the previous quarter and now ranks only 29th. So the latest Windows version seems to be making inroads in the business section now on tablets. 

Notebooks: Lenovo's ThinkPad goes through the roof

The Lenovo ThinkPad L15 Gen 3 21C3 remains in first place with an impressive 7. 151 clicks in first place in the notebook category, well ahead of the HP ProBook 450 G9 in second place, which recorded 2,055 clicks. The ThinkPad features a powerful Intel Core i5 processor running at 4.4 GHz, 16 GB of RAM around 512 GB of storage.

With the new MacBook Pro, Apple makes it into the top 10 notebooks right away. This makes it one of the high-flyers in the first quarter of 2023. Stiftung Warentest awards the high-performance notebook top marks under the title: "Top performance for a lot of money". The MacBook Pro is praised for its powerful M2 Pro processor with twelve cores and 16 GB of RAM, the display, the battery and the versatility.

The HP ProBook 455 G9 notebook made a meteoric rise, especially in the last week of March. The stock of the notebook dropped drastically at the end of March, which drove up the number of clicks on ITscope: because numerous distributors no longer had the product in stock, ITscope customers researched alternative sources of supply on the platform - and also found what they were looking for. The HP ProBook 455, in contrast to the HP ProBook 450 G9, has an AMD CPU. 

By the end of March, the HP ProBook 455 G9 notebook was sold out at numerous merchants, as reflected in the product click history.

PC systems: Mini is maxing out

After a long reign as the top contender in the complete systems category, the Lenovo ThinkCentre M70q 11DT is bidding farewell as it phases out. But fear not, as a new front-runner has emerged to take its place - the former runner-up, the HP Pro Mini 400 G9, i5 2GHz with 8 GB RAM, now reigns supreme. Its slightly pricier counterpart, with 16GB of RAM and SSD 512, follows closely in third place.

Scarcely still in stock: the Lenovo ThinkCentre M70q 11DT.

But Lenovo's 3rd generation ThinkCentre M70q is already on the way up. Thanks to the 12th generation Intel Core processors, the mini PC offers high performance in the smallest space. It can be easily configured, expanded and is economical in energy consumption. In the first quarter of 2023, with 2,316 clicks, it is nevertheless only good enough for second place in the category. The next largest version, the Lenovo ThinkCentre M70q Gen 3 with 16 GB RAM and SSD 512, climbs from 27th to 5th place. Equipped with a smaller processor is the 2nd generation of the Lenovo ThinkCentre M70q, which has been listed since November 2022. The complete system with Core i5 11400T and 1.3 GHz enters the category in 11th place. 

It's striking: The trend in the office is towards compact PCs in mini format that can be stowed away practically behind the monitor or even - like the Lenovo's ThinkCentre M70q - attached to the back of the monitor with a VESA mounting kit. Manufacturers define the format of their mini PCs differently: on the market there are both flat, horizontal models such as the HP Pro Mini (width: 17.7 cm x depth: 17x5cm x height: 3.42 cm) or the square Apple Mac mini (width: 19.7 cm, depth: 19.7 cm, height: 3.58 cm), as well as slim vertical models such as the Dell Optiplex 3000 (width: 3.6 cm, depth: 17.8 cm, height: 18.2 cm) or the Fujitsu ESPRIMO.  The first classic tower PC in the category is found in 10th place. The Lenovo ThinkStation P360 belongs to the high-performance segment with Intel's Core i9 12900K. Its advantage over the mini PCs: many up-to-date ports and legacy interfaces. 

Not in the top 10, but still worth noting, is the Fujitsu ESPRIMO G6012, which still managed 472 clicks in the first quarter. The mini-PC is just 3.6 cm thin, but has no optical drive. The entry-level model has a mainboard with an Intel B660 chipset installed.

Graphic cards: Strong performance with Ada-Lovelace GPU

Processors: Intel overtakes AMD

It was time for a change on the processor front: the Intel Core i7 13700K has taken the lead in the CPU category. The 13700K has 16 cores, eight each of P-cores and E-cores. PC Games Hardware recommends the i7 especially for content creators and demanding gamers. Runner-up is the Intel Core i9 13900K, the top model from the Alder-Lake range. The No. 1 model from the previous quarter, the AMD Ryzen 5 5600X, recorded only half as many clicks as in Q4 2022, landing it in third place in the category. Despite having a few years under its belt, the AMD processor remains exciting for all AM4 platform systems. 

In the first quarter of 2023, interest in processors on the ITscope platform has declined overall. Nevertheless, click numbers for CPUs of the new chip generations remain relatively high, such as for the AMD Ryzen 9 7950X, which registers 610 clicks. AMD's CPU is one of the top processors on the market with its 16 cores, 32 threads and a high clock speed. 

With the i5 processors Intel Core i5 13400F and Core i5 13500, which have been listed since January, Intel is launching a new middle class. The two CPUs make it to 25th and 30th place in the category, impressing with a good price-performance ratio and following on from their popular predecessors, the Core i5 12400F and Core i5 12500. Compared to these models, the core clock speed has increased by 200 megahertz.

The new Intel Core i9 13900KS has a completely different level of performance, but also a corresponding price. It is Intel's first processor with a clock speed of 6 GHz ex works. In return, however, Intel is charging a hefty price: 646.30 € is the average Wholesale selling price on 03.04.2023. "The processor (...) doesn't offer much more than this psychological milestone," is ComputerBase's verdict on the Special Edition CPU. Nonetheless, the processor manages to enter the category at number 29.

Multifunction Printers: Popular HP Color LaserJet Pro finally available again

It's back: the HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M479fdw has been virtually unavailable since September 2020. On druckerchannel.de users reported rampant street prices and fake availability during this time.  The highly sought-after HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M479fdw has finally returned to the market, and its popularity has propelled it to the top spot in the category with an impressive 2,673 clicks. This multifunction colour laser printer is a reliable workhorse for any office, capable of churning out up to 27 pages per minute.

Since the beginning of 2023, stock on the HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M479fdw has been increasing again.

HP's black-and-white LaserJet Pro MFP M428fdw, which was the top performer in the previous quarter, slipped in the top list. With only 676 clicks (In Q4 2022, it was 2,673), it ranks only 15th.  

A new product is only in 25th place in the printers and multifunction devices category, the Epson WorkForce Pro WF-C5890DWF, which also made it into our Highflyers of the Quarter. The office inkjet printer can scan, fax and handle over 1,800 sheets thanks to flexible paper management. Druckerchannel comes up with a average price per page of 1.7 to 8.3 cents for the new business inkjet. 

Inkjet printers have gained popularity due to their lower energy consumption during operation and the reduced need for regular consumables replacement compared to laser printers. Epson recently announced that it will no longer produce laser printers from 2026 onwards, instead focusing on the development of inkjet printers. This move highlights the growing need for businesses to adopt eco-friendly practices and switch to more sustainable printing options.

Storage systems: Stability is key

Although the need for innovative storage systems in data protection remains constant, there are still noteworthy developments to explore in this quarter's market barometer. It is timely to discuss these advancements, especially as World Backup Day on March 31st highlights the critical role of data backup in our digital age.

By far the most clicked storage system on the platform, with 1. 522 clicks, the Synology DiskStation DS220+, which has held on to the top spot since early 2022. The compact NAS server offers two bays for hard drives and can hold a total of up to 32 terabytes, according to 1WorldSync. In the test by Computerbild, the network hard drive receives the top grade 1.4 and scores in all test categories. 

Place 2, on the other hand, is a newer product from Synology: the Disk Station DS923+ has only been listed since October 2022 and is also a NAS server, but with four bays. It is a successor to the popular DS920+, but unlike many other servers, it has an AMD Ryzen R1600 dual-core processor. The DS920+  can be upgraded using NVMe SSDs and has four bays. For those who only need two bays, the Synology Disk Station DS723+ is sufficient, which has the same technology built in and makes it to sixth place in the category. Since the end of 2020, the Taipei-based company has regularly featured NAS servers with AMD Ryzen processors in its assortment, which targeting home users and small businesses - pioneered by the DS1621+, which convinced with strong performance. 

QNAP only has three products in the top 15 of the category in Q1 2023.The QNAP TR-004 hard drive array (#3) and the QNAP TS-231K NAS server (#5) offer affordable storage upgrades for NAS with two and four bays respectively. Those who already use QNAP servers can also test the beta version of the NAS operating system for QTS 5.1.0, which promises innovations and improvements. The storage systems from the Taiwanese manufacturer QNAP have always been regarded ashigh-performance professional models that are also suitable for tinkerers with a hands-on mentality. Synology has carved a niche in the mid-range segment, thanks to its user-friendly interface, and the click figures on ITscope indicate that usability is a crucial factor for businesses. As a result, Synology has garnered more interest than QNAP in recent years. While QNAP has always been known for its high-performance professional models, Synology's beginner-friendly approach has made it a popular choice for small businesses and home users alike.

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About ITscope GmbH

ITscope revolutionizes the ITC industry by providing a comprehensive platform that integrates all business models, from procurement and sales to Managed Services. It caters to system houses, resellers, distributors, and manufacturers, enabling them to enhance their business processes and embrace digitalization.

ITscope GmbH, established in 2003 and based in Karlsruhe, has undergone a significant transformation from a mere price comparison tool to a robust digital sales and E-Procurement platform. The B2B Suite digital sales solution enables system houses to create customized procurement portals for their business customers, eliminating the need for traditional shop systems and ensuring seamless procurement of products from suppliers via EDI. Distributors and manufacturers can also streamline their enquiry, sales, and order processing workflows on ITscope. Furthermore, ITscope provides valuable insights into market movements and sales trends from the ITC channel, making it a one-stop-shop for all things ITC.