PC sales just can’t seem to catch a break.
New numbers released by market research firm Gartner indicate that worldwide shipments declined 9.6 per cent in the first quarter of 2016 compared to the same quarter of the previous year, making this “the sixth consecutive quarter of PC shipment declines, and the first time since 2007 that shipment volume fell below 65 million units.”
This is despite the July 2015 release of Windows 10, which some hoped would spur a refresh on the consumer side.
Instead of PCs, households are looking towards smartphones, especially in emerging markets.
Gartner attributes this to weaker local currencies in comparison to the U.S. dollar, which is certainly the case in Canada.
“Our early results also show there was an inventory buildup from holiday sales in the fourth quarter of 2015,” said Mikako Kitagawa, Gartner’s principal analyst said in a statement.
Meanwhile, aside from regional political instability, low oil prices also drove economic contraction in parts of the world.
Lenovo maintained its first place position during the first quarter despite a 7.2 percent decline overall. This the company experienced in all regions except North America, where the company’s PC units actually increased 14.6 per cent from the same period last year, Gartner said. In the last four quarters, Lenovo has showed double-digit shipment growth in the U.S., despite an overall market decline.
Gartner predicts that desktops, laptops and ultrabooks will see an overall shipment decline of 1 percent in 2016.
