Post by jeffolie on Apr 10, 2013 16:56:00 GMT -6
PC shipments slip hardest yet in quarter
April 10, 2013
SAN FRANCISCO -- Rumors of the PC's death are not greatly exaggerated.
Personal computer shipments worldwide plummeted 13.9% in the first quarter, the latest evidence of a decaying market. The drop underlines the single largest decline in a quarter tracked by IDC.
It also marks the first full quarter that Window 8 was available, sending a resounding thumbs-down to Microsoft's new operating system.
"If you ask most people about Windows 8, they believe it requires a touchscreen," says IDC analyst Bob O'Donnell. "There are a lot of people who miss the start button."
He said such concerns along with uninspired designs from PC manufacturers helped speed the declines. There were 76.3 million PCs shipped worldwide in the quarter.
Consumer preferences for tablets and smartphones -- two areas in which Microsoft is hurting -- continue to turn the PC industry upside-down. Desktops have been particularly hard hit as sales have been shaved nearly in half in the past 10 years.
Hewlett-Packard held onto the No. 1 position worldwide by a hair, with a 23.7% decline from a year ago's period. For HP "there are some challenges," says O'Donnell.
Acer Group saw the steepest decline, a 31.3 % drop from a year ago. Lenovo, which has been steadily on the rise, saw a flat quarter from a year ago. The Asia-based PC maker is ranked No. 2 and is less than half a percentage point behind HP.
U.S. shipments of PCs were down 12.7% from a year ago.
www.usatoday.com/story/tech/2013/04/10/pcs-apple-microsoft-dell-hp/2072249/
April 10, 2013
SAN FRANCISCO -- Rumors of the PC's death are not greatly exaggerated.
Personal computer shipments worldwide plummeted 13.9% in the first quarter, the latest evidence of a decaying market. The drop underlines the single largest decline in a quarter tracked by IDC.
It also marks the first full quarter that Window 8 was available, sending a resounding thumbs-down to Microsoft's new operating system.
"If you ask most people about Windows 8, they believe it requires a touchscreen," says IDC analyst Bob O'Donnell. "There are a lot of people who miss the start button."
He said such concerns along with uninspired designs from PC manufacturers helped speed the declines. There were 76.3 million PCs shipped worldwide in the quarter.
Consumer preferences for tablets and smartphones -- two areas in which Microsoft is hurting -- continue to turn the PC industry upside-down. Desktops have been particularly hard hit as sales have been shaved nearly in half in the past 10 years.
Hewlett-Packard held onto the No. 1 position worldwide by a hair, with a 23.7% decline from a year ago's period. For HP "there are some challenges," says O'Donnell.
Acer Group saw the steepest decline, a 31.3 % drop from a year ago. Lenovo, which has been steadily on the rise, saw a flat quarter from a year ago. The Asia-based PC maker is ranked No. 2 and is less than half a percentage point behind HP.
U.S. shipments of PCs were down 12.7% from a year ago.
www.usatoday.com/story/tech/2013/04/10/pcs-apple-microsoft-dell-hp/2072249/