According to market research firm IDC, PC sales showed a record 10.6 percent drop in the last quarter of 2015; while competing research outfit Gartner called an 8.3 percent plunge. Whichever is correct, both firms agreed PC shipment sales failed to pass 300 million for the first time in seven years. But is it all that bad?
Right, so if we’re not spending money on PCs, we must be buying games. Best blow your cash on some of the best.
Okay, so while I’m fond ofspreading the good word when it comes to how well PC-related sales figures are faring, it’s only right to report when they’re not. Except these latest stats might not be as bad as they first seem.
PC shipments reached 71.9 million units, say IDC, which accounted for the record year-on-year drop of 10.6 by their reading, however Gartner suggests some countries in western Europe, not least the UK, saw PC sales benefit from Windows 10 promos over the holiday season.
What’s more, the sky looks rather bright for Mac owners as Apple became the only manufacturer among the top five to show growth, despite declining trends elsewhere. Competition from smartphones and tablets seems to be the reason most touted by both organisations for PC market decline, yet both also predict the market will rebound this year.
“We continue to believe that a majority of these users will purchase another PC, motivated by new products and attractive pricing,” says a statement on the IDC website. “Commercial adoption of Windows 10 is expected to accelerate, and consumer buying should also stabilize by the second half of the year.”
Gartner reckons the decline is expected to slow to one percent by the end of 2016 by virtue of a “soft recovery”.