Home Gartner, IDC: PC shipments tanked last quarter
News

Gartner, IDC: PC shipments tanked last quarter

Cyril Kowaliski
Disclosure
Disclosure
In our content, we occasionally include affiliate links. Should you click on these links, we may earn a commission, though this incurs no additional cost to you. Your use of this website signifies your acceptance of our terms and conditions as well as our privacy policy.

Here comes more doom and gloom from PC market watchers. This time, the folks at CNet News have compiled Q1 2013 PC shipment figures from both Gartner and IDC, and they say the situation is "the worst it has ever been."

Yikes.

Reportedly, Gartner estimates that PC shipments have fallen by 11% since the first quarter of 2012, and IDC pegs the shrinkage at 14%—almost twice as bad as that firm’s original forecast, which was a 7.7% decrease. Both research firms say shipments declined across all geographical regions, too. That’s particularly worrying, since we often see healthier growth in emerging markets than in regions like North America.

Windows 8 was no great help, either. Far from breathing life back into the PC market, the new operating system may have actually made things worse. CNet News quotes IDC analyst Bob O’Donnell, who noted, "While some consumers appreciate the new form factors and touch capabilities of Windows 8, the radical changes to the [user interface], removal of the familiar Start button, and the costs associated with touch have made PCs a less attractive alternative to dedicated tablets and other competitive devices."

Yeah, that just plain stinks. CNet News’ story doesn’t include forecasts for the rest of the year, but I would hope there are enough new products on the way to spur a rebound. Before the end of the year, we should see Haswell– and Kabini-powered notebooks, Bay Trail– and Temash-powered tablets, and of course Windows Blue, which could be released to manufacturing as early as August. If those things don’t pry folks away from their smartphones and iPads, I don’t know what will.

Latest News

Apple Might Join Hands with Google or OpenAI for Their AI Tech
News

Apple Is Reportedly Planning to Join Hands with Google or OpenAI to License Their AI Tools

YouTube Launches New Tool To Help Label AI-generated Content
News

YouTube Launches a New Tool to Help Creators Label AI-Generated Content

YouTube released a tool that will make creators clearly label the parts of their content that are generated by AI. The initiative was first launched in November in an attempt...

Ripple Dumps 240 Million XRP Tokens Amid 17% Price Decline
Crypto News

Ripple Dumps 240 Million XRP Tokens Amid 17% Price Decline

Popular crypto payment platform Ripple has released 240 million XRP tokens in its latest escrow unlock for March. This comes at a time when XRP’s price has declined significantly. Data from...

Crypto Expert Draws A Links Between Shiba Inu And Ethereum
Crypto News

Crypto Expert Draws Link Between Shiba Inu And Ethereum

The Lucrative FTX Bankruptcy Trade and Ongoing Legal Battle
Crypto News

The Lucrative FTX Bankruptcy Trade and Ongoing Legal Battle

Bitcoin (BTC) Price Set to Enter “Danger Zone” – Time to Back-Off or Bag More Coins?
Crypto News

Bitcoin (BTC) Price Set to Enter “Danger Zone” – Time to Back-Off or Bag More Coins?

SNB to Kick Off Rate Cut Cycle Sooner Than Expected
News

SNB to Kick-Start Rate Cut Cycle Sooner Than Expected