PC shipments disappoint IDC amidst tablet mania

Figures show PC shipments are doing worse than first thought, according to analyst firm IDC.

PC shipments increased by 2.7 per cent compared to the expected 2.9 per cent for the second quarter, IDC said.

PCs have also suffered due to a relative lack of compelling offerings.

With the emergence of tablets like iPads, and Kindles shadowing the existence of PCs, the market is expected to be weaker in the second half of the year.

IDC has lowered the yearly growth for 2012 because of this rapid trend in new technology, but kept the expected growth for 2013 through 2015.

Western Europe shipments dropped more than 20 per cent compared to a year ago and in the US dropped around five per cent. As for some positive news, enterprise spending remained the same and emerging regions show solid progress.

"While consumers have pulled back in part due to economic circumstances, consumer PCs have also suffered due to a relative lack of compelling offerings," said Jay Chou, senior research analyst at IDC.

"With the excitement of mini notebooks largely past, the PC industry has struggled to come up with compelling features to keep buyer interest, and has subsequently suffered some budget-competition from smartphones as well as media tablets, which sold more than 107 million and 13.5 million units, respectively in the second quarter of 2011."

Similarly, Gartner was let down by PC shipments, as it downgraded its own PC forecasts. It expected shipments would grow just over nine per cent in 2011 now it expects just 3.8 per cent growth.

"In these tight economic times, and with new and competing products for consumers and businesses to spend money on, PC growth will remain slow in the next couple quarters," said Loren Loverde, vice president for IDC's Worldwide Consumer Trackers division.

Loverde said the growth in successful regions will drive healthy growth for long term success in the PC market.