Worldwide PC shipments have been forecast to fall by 7.3 percent year-over-year in 2016. In its latest survey, market research firm IDC predicts the PC industry will continue to fall, with progressively smaller declines through 2017 – but may achieve some stability in 2018.
The researcher said 2016 is now expected to be roughly two percent below earlier projections, as conditions have been weaker than expected.
Growth in the first quarter of 2016 came in at minus 12.5 percent, compared with IDC’s forecast of minus 11pc, hit by weak currencies, depressed commodity prices, political uncertainty, and delayed projects.
The financial pressure on consumers across regions, and the availability of alternatives – such as delaying a PC replacement by using a free Windows 10 upgrade – continue to pressure consumer PC shipments, IDC says.
Detachable tablets also present a growing challenge, as specs and pricing increasingly stack up against notebook PCs. If detachable tablet numbers are combined with PCs, the market is projected to decline by just over two percent in 2016.
“We have now had four consecutive quarters of double-digit volume declines,” said Loren Loverde, IDC Worldwide Tracker VP. “This type of prolonged slump is unprecedented, and lowers the bar for some improvement going forward,” Loverde added.
