PC market shrunk at record pace in 2015

Technology analyst firms IDC and Gartner have both released figures showing that worldwide PC shipments contracted rapidly in 2015.

IDC recorded a global contraction of 10.6 percent in 2015 compared with 2014 – the biggest yearly decrease in history, surpassing 9.8 percent in 2013. Gartner’s numbers showed an 8 percent contraction.

“The fourth quarter of 2015 marked the fifth consecutive quarter of worldwide PC shipment decline,” said Gartner principal analyst Mikako Kitagawa.

“Holiday sales did not boost the overall PC shipments, hinting at changes to consumers’ PC purchase behaviour. On the business side, Windows 10 generally received positive reviews, but as expected, Windows 10 migration was minor in the fourth quarter as many organisations were just starting their testing period.”

Four of the top five vendors – Lenovo, HP, Dell and Asus – recorded a reduction in shipments in 2015, with Apple the one exception. The Cupertino-based manufacturer tallied 5.8 percent growth according to Gartner and 6.2 percent in IDC’s books.

Acer was the big loser in 2015, dropping out of the top five after recording a crushing 15.3 percent reduction in shipments for the year. The Taiwanese vendor had held fourth place in 2014.

Lenovo (-3.1 percent), HP (-4.4 percent), Dell (-3.3 percent) and Asus (-6.5 percent) all copped a lesser battering in the PC market.

The Asia-Pacific region wasn’t immune to the shrinkage, with IDC blaming the strong US dollar and Gartner stating that vendors in 2015 looked for “profitability over shipment volume, focusing on segments such as gaming PCs; bundling of desktops with large monitor screens and ultramobile device models”.

Gartner forecast that this year the PC market would stop the bleeding somewhat, with a worldwide annual decline of 1 percent.

The analyst firm even predicted “potential for a soft recovery in late 2016”, with Kitagawa saying the personal computer market is still “in the middle of structural change” that will reduce the installed base in the coming years.