PC sales continue to slip

PC shipments in 2013 came in at levels last seen in 2009 and represented the worst decline in history, says Gartner.

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The latest research from Gartner shows that global PC shipments have continued the downward trend started almost two years ago.

In the last quarter of 2013, global PC shipments dropped 6.9% year-on-year, to reach 82.6 million units, the research company says, based on preliminary data. It notes this is the "seventh consecutive quarter of shipment decline".

According to the IDC's December expectations, global PC unit sales were expected to fall 10.1% in 2013. It said this would be "by far the most severe yearly contraction on record" with "little indication of positive growth beyond replacement of existing systems".

Total shipments are expected to drop 3.8% in 2014, before turning slightly positive in the longer term, the IDC has noted. At these rates, total PC shipments will remain just above 300 million during the forecast - barely ahead of 2008 volumes, it said.

Gartner says, for 2013, total PC shipments were 315.9 million units, a 10% decline from 2012. "This is the worst decline in PC market history, equal to the shipment level in 2009."

However, Gartner believes the downward spiral may have hit the bottom for markets such as the US. Mikako Kitagawa, principal analyst, says strong growth in tablets continued to negatively impact PC growth in emerging markets.

"In emerging markets, the first connected device for consumers is most likely a smartphone, and their first computing device is a tablet. As a result, the adoption of PCs in emerging markets will be slower as consumers skip PCs for tablets."

PC shipments in Europe, the Middle East and Africa totalled 25.8 million units in the fourth quarter of last year, a 6.7% drop year-on-year, says Gartner. It says this decline was less steep than the last seven quarters.

All areas of the region - Western Europe, Eastern Europe and the Middle East and Africa - showed a shipment decline.

Lenovo took over the top spot in the global 2013 PC market, accounting for 16.9% of the market. HP moved into the second spot after experiencing shipment decline of 9.3%, adds Gartner.