Impact of Tablet Adoption: Are Things Looking Dire for the Traditional PC?
By Karla Robinson
August 9, 2012
August 9, 2012
- “It certainly seems that the industry as a whole is in a slump,” IHS iSuppli analyst Craig Stice says of the PC market. The bad economy paired with the growth of tablets has created a very weak demand for new PCs.
- “Market research firm IDC reported that PC shipments totaled 86.7 million units last quarter, down 0.1 percent from the year earlier period. This was far below IDC’s projection of 2.1 percent growth,” reports Fortune. “Gartner also reported the decline in sales, counting approximately 87.5 million units.”
- “Who out there now needs a PC and doesn’t have one?” says Bob O’Donnell, vice president of clients and displays for IDC. As sales in the developed world are slowing down, PC makers are looking to promising developing markets like Brazil, “…but that isn’t enough to keep the industry in good shape,” O’Donnell continues.
- “A shaky economy, meanwhile, is convincing consumers they don’t really need an upgrade,” the article states. For example, high prices probably contributed to the lackluster adoption of the highly-anticipated Ultrabooks.
- Windows 8 is unlikely to be able to help the flailing PC market as it will possibly also drive up prices. Users may also hold off if the update isn’t easy.
- If you count tablets as PCs, Apple has surpassed HP as the top PC vendor, selling 17 million iPads and 4 million Macs in the second quarter of 2012. While the rest of the market struggles, Apple’s prospects are still positive; “… as Apple continues to dominate in the tablet space it could see some growth with its desktops and notebooks,” Fortune concludes.
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