South Korea's top tech giant, Samsung Electronics Co., said Thursday it plans to stop sales of its low-end ATIV laptop lineup in Europe amid the slowing global PC market, following the path of its rivals.

   "We will no longer launch new versions of the Google Chromebook and ATIV in the European market, and instead will focus on high-end laptops and tablet PCs down the road," an official from Samsung Electronics said.

   The company, however, said it will maintain the PC business in other areas, including the Asia-Pacific region.

   Industry watchers said Samsung's latest move apparently came as the global PC market started to slow amid the rising popularity of tablet PCs, which is expected to continue to eat into the PC business.

   "The decision apparently reflects the slowing PC market around the globe," said Lee Min-hee, an analyst at I'M Investment & Securities Co. "While the PC market was earlier expected to seek a turnaround, especially following the suspension of the Windows XP operating system, it continued to remain dull this year."

   "Even the tablet PC sectors are being challenged as smartphones are becoming larger, let alone the laptop sector," Lee added. Apple recently showcased two versions of its flagship smartphone, the 4.7-inch iPhone 6 and 5.5-inch iPhone 6 Plus, entering the battle for large-scale handsets.

   Japan-based Toshiba Corp., a traditional leader of the PC market, reportedly announced earlier this week that it will also reduce its PC business, which involves layoffs, citing lackluster returns and sluggish demand in developing countries.

   Samsung's former main rival, Sony, also said in February that it plans to sell off its VAIO PC division, which was launched in 1996, in a bid to focus on its mainstay businesses such as smartphones and tablet devices.

   "However, Samsung's overall earnings will remain intact from changes in its PC sector," Lee said. "Although Samsung does not release its earnings from the PC sector, they are believed to be insignificant in the tech giant's overall performance."

   Samsung, despite suffering from falling profits, took up 22.3 percent of the world's market for tablet PCs in the first quarter of this year, rising sharply from the 17.5 percent posted a year earlier, data compiled by industry researcher IDC Corp. showed.

   The figures compare to its key rival, Apple Inc., which held 32.4 percent of the global tablet PC market in the January-March period, down 7.7 percentage points over the cited period. (Yonhap)