According to technology trend analysis company IDC the already bleak outlook for the PC industry has taken a turn for the worse. Back in April, Jeff told you about IDC reported a large downturn in PC sales in the first quarter of 2013. Despite Redmond-based Microsoft coming out with a major upgrade to their Windows 8 operating system the tailspin continues to pick up speed. IDC even sees this spiral continue into next year all-be-it at a slower pace.
"The second quarter of 2013 was the third consecutive quarter where the U.S. market came through stronger than the worldwide market. This was largely due to some recovery in the overall economy and channel inventory replenishment," said Rajani Singh, Research Analyst, Client Computing.
The numbers show that percentage-wise it is the portable PC that is doing slightly worse due to the rise of table as viable alternative. Especially, those in the developing markets looking toward tablets for longer battery life, since places to plug in maybe few and far; tablet can be more versatile than a portable PC and they are easier to pack around. Another reason for the decline is that with more software company turning to app development for mobile devices, most tablets can preform all the task of a home or portable PC.
“The days where one can assume tablet disruptions are purely a First World problem are over,” said IDC analyst Jay Chou in a news release. ”Advances in PC hardware, such as improvements in the power efficiency of x86 processors remain encouraging, and Windows 8.1 is also expected to address a number of well-documented concerns. However, the current PC usage experience falls short of meeting changing usage patterns that are spreading through all regions, especially as tablet price and performance become ever more attractive.”
There is some good news for PCs though. Even thought IDC predicts the PC market will continue its decline through 2014 they see a slowdown in the decline of portable PCs. They look at the portables slowly catching up to tablets in battery life and portability as they become lighter. After 2014 IDC even sees the PC making a sight comeback due mainly to portable units.
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