IDC: PC Sales Decline Substantially

According to IDC, PC sales are in a tailspin with 76.3 million units sold in the first quarter of 2013. This number represents a decline of 13.9% compared to the forecast decline of 7.7%. These are the worst numbers since IDC started tracking in 1994 and it is the fourth quarter of year-on-year shipment declines.

 

Microsoft recently saw the prices of many of its Windows 8 machines slashed only months after they became available… This report sheds some light on the situation. In my post on the matter I said:

It seems Microsoft is getting known for making an OS you HAVE to buy while Apple makes an OS you WANT to buy.

Windows 8 needs better marketing, an update or perhaps something else to get people to accept it. These numbers should keep a slew of execs in the traditional PC market awake for many nights.

HP, Dell, Acer, Toshiba and Apple all saw their PC sales decline while Lenovo grew 10% in the US but remained flat worldwide. ASUS saw some growth in the US and substantial declines elsewhere.

What this tells us is we are indeed in a post-PC era and as smartphones become more usable and tablets approximate the functions of a PC, consumers are not upgrading their old computers as quickly or buying new ones at all.

Unless Microsoft can generate some PC market excitement, the ramifications for suppliers, IT departments and developers are obvious… The PC market as we once knew it is declining more quickly than anticipated as consumers gravitate towards Android and iOS. These groups need to ensure their strategies are in-line with the current trends.

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