PC shipments decline worldwide, but US market returned to growth

[Jos]

Market research firms IDC and Gartner have released their second-quarter PC shipment numbers, and while numbers are down year-to-year once again, there are some positive signs por the industry. For one thing, the 4.5% to 5.2% drop in global shipments (depending on who you ask) was not as drastic as analysts were expecting, and in particular the U.S. actually saw PC shipments rise to 15.2 million units after five straight quarters of declines.

IDC reports that shipments have increased by 4.9% in the U.S, while Gartner’s numbers are more conservative at 1.4%. Gartner does not count Chromebooks as part of its analysis, however, and this is one of the areas of growth that IDC highlights with a spike in purchases from schools, governments and other public outfits.

Among the top six vendors PC vendors, Lenovo and Apple were the only ones with year-over-year declines in shipments, while HP, Dell, Asus and Acer all recorded growth. Lenovo held onto its leading position worldwide despite a 2.2% year-over-year decline, but HP is closing in with a 1.8% gain and 19.1% market share according to Gartner.

Source: IDC

Apple fared the worst with a 4.9% decline in shipments and slipping to the fifth position behind Asus, after occupying the fourth spot for several quarters.

Looking ahead Microsoft is planning to release its Anniversary Update to Windows 10 on August 2, just in time for the back to school season when we’re likely to see some hardware deals to attract buyers. Both IDC and Gartner expect a slight recovery in PC shipments and a faster commercial transition of Windows 10 in the second half of the year.

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https://www.techspot.com/news/65545-pc-shipments-decline-worldwide-but-us-market-returned.html

 

[Uncle Al]

They rise, they fall. No company can sustain prolonged growth, no matter how long a streak they have had. The point is they are still selling computers and not going broke, which is amazing when you consider the way the last 10 years have gone for most other industries .....

 

[Axiarus]

Why are places still reporting PC shipments/sales. It goes up and down, no one cares.

 

[texasrattler]

Cause everything thinks PC is dead. We all use PCs, it's what the world is running on. This time of year, Summer time, deals are to be found. Back to school is big for everyone.
Decline in PC shipments could be a sign that maybe PCs are lasting a lil longer, which is a good thing for consumers. There will always be issues with computers, that wont go away.

 

[McMurdeR]

No one seems to be able to agree on what a PC is or isn't. In my view, a smartphone, smartwatch or a tablet fits neatly into a definition of a 'personal computer'. It looks like these business analysts wanted to distinguish between companies that built traditional PCs and laptops, and those that built mobile devices. That was a thing 10 years ago, but most vendors are building a full range of diverse devices by now, so I'm not really seeing the meaning behind these figures anymore.

 

[Teko03]

Cause everything thinks PC is dead. We all use PCs, it's what the world is running on. This time of year, Summer time, deals are to be found. Back to school is big for everyone.
Decline in PC shipments could be a sign that maybe PCs are lasting a lil longer, which is a good thing for consumers. There will always be issues with computers, that wont go away.

Basically. People still buy PC's, they just don't need to be replaced as frequently any more. Gone are the times when PCs' needed more power (hence needing a new PC) to run the latest software --- nowadays it's a matter of hardware failing that causes a consumer to purchase/build a new PC.

 

[texasrattler]

No one seems to be able to agree on what a PC is or isn't. In my view, a smartphone, smartwatch or a tablet fits neatly into a definition of a 'personal computer'. It looks like these business analysts wanted to distinguish between companies that built traditional PCs and laptops, and those that built mobile devices. That was a thing 10 years ago, but most vendors are building a full range of diverse devices by now, so I'm not really seeing the meaning behind these figures anymore.

I would never class a smartphone or tablet as a pc. Why, because it is not one. Just because it has a chip in it does not make it a pc. That's like saying a console is a pc but we all know that is not true.

PC are more powerful (speed and memory) which can make all the difference. You can add hardware and download whatever you want. Last I checked you could not do that with a smartphone, tablet or console.