PC Sales Declined Again in the Third Quarter

The popularity of mobile devices, such as smartphones and tablets, has once again pressured PC sales during the period from July to September, according to data from industry associations.

A total of 68.9 million PCs were shipped worldwide in the third quarter, which is a 5.7 percent decrease compared to the same period last year, according to preliminary estimates from consulting firm Gartner, released on Tuesday.

At the International Data Corporation (IDC), it is estimated that 68 million personal computers were shipped, which is 3.9 percent less than in the same period last year.

The decline in shipments has continued for the eighth consecutive quarter, marking the longest period of decline in the history of the industry, Gartner notes.

“Two fundamental factors influenced the results of the PC market: the extended lifespan of PCs due to an excess of consumer devices and weak demand in emerging markets,” explains Gartner’s chief analyst Mikako Kitagawa.

Kitagawa refers to Gartner’s research on personal technology usage, which shows that most consumers own and use at least three different types of computing devices, with personal computers at the bottom of that list.

The challenges faced by PC manufacturers include weak demand from students and a continuously weak general interest from consumers, especially in emerging markets, Gartner notes.

“In emerging markets, personal computers are poorly available, and consumers are not interested in purchasing PCs,” Kitagawa notes.

“When it comes to tasks performed on computing devices, consumers in emerging markets primarily use smartphones or phablets and do not see the need for PCs as consumers in saturated markets do,” she adds.

Among individual manufacturers, Chinese Lenovo with 21 percent retained its position as the market leader in market share, although Hewlett-Packard is nearly equal, according to data from Gartner and IDC.

At the same time, Lenovo’s market share has slightly decreased while that of second-placed HP and third-placed Dell has increased.

IDC emphasizes that the Chinese company narrowly managed to defend its leading position – which it has held since 2013 – primarily due to weak growth in its home Chinese market.