Subscribe & Follow
Traditional computer sales eroded by love of tablets
A total of 80.3m personal computers were shipped worldwide in the third quarter of this year, an 8.6% drop from the same period in 2012, according to Gartner.
It was the six consecutive quarter of decline for personal computer sales as buyers increasingly turn to tablet computers for accessing the Internet.
"The third quarter is often referred to as the 'back-to-school' quarter for PC sales and sales this quarter dropped to their lowest volume since 2008," said Gartner principal analyst Mikako Kitagawa.
"Consumers' shift from PCs to tablets for daily content consumption continued to decrease the installed base of PCs both in mature as well as in emerging markets."
The trend is being heightened by expanding availability of economically-priced tablets powered by free Google-backed Android software according to Gartner.
Market figures released the same day by International Data Corporation pegged the year-on-year decline in the quarter at 7.6% in what was described as comparatively good news given that the drop in PC sales was forecast to be around nine percent.
According to IDC a slight rise in businesses buying computers and interest in machines powered by new Windows software improved sales.
"Despite being a little ahead of forecast and the work that's being done on new designs and integration of features like touch, the third quarter results suggest there's still a high probability that we will see another decline in worldwide shipments in 2014," said IDC Worldwide PC Trackers vice president Loren Loverde.
China's Lenovo was the top PC maker, with a slight lead over US-based Hewlett Packard, according to both Gartner and IDC.
Source: AFP via I-Net Bridge
Source: I-Net Bridge
For more than two decades, I-Net Bridge has been one of South Africa’s preferred electronic providers of innovative solutions, data of the highest calibre, reliable platforms and excellent supporting systems. Our products include workstations, web applications and data feeds packaged with in-depth news and powerful analytical tools empowering clients to make meaningful decisions.
We pride ourselves on our wide variety of in-house skills, encompassing multiple platforms and applications. These skills enable us to not only function as a first class facility, but also design, implement and support all our client needs at a level that confirms I-Net Bridge a leader in its field.
Go to: http://www.inet.co.zaRelated
