Ushering Out the PC Era: Shipments Will Drop 10% in 2013

But it's not all doom and gloom. More than 300 million desktops and notebook computers are still shipped each year

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The International Data Corporation has more bad news for the PC world; not only are worldwide shipments expected to drop by 10.1% this year, they’re expected to fall by another 3.8% in 2014. Earlier this year, shipments were expected to fall by 9.7%. IDC says the major reason for the decline is consumers’ lack of interest in PCs beyond replacing old systems.

“While IDC research finds that the PC still remains the primary computing device – for example, PCs are used more hours per day than tablets or phones – PC usage is nonetheless declining each year as more devices become available,” said Jay Chou a senior research analyst at IDC in a release. “And despite industry efforts, PC usage has not moved significantly beyond consumption and productivity tasks to differentiate PCs from other devices. As a result, PC lifespans continue to increase, thereby limiting market growth.”

IDC defines PCs as desktop and notebook computers, but excludes tablets and eBook readers such as the iPad and Nook.

The news isn’t all bad, however. Shipments are predicted to stay above 300 million units until 2017, although that is still less than the 350 million shipped in 2012.

[IDC]

[TechCrunch]