IDC: PC market to decline again in 2013

According to the latest IDC report, the global PC market will decline for the second straight year.

While it forecasted slight growth for 2013 last year, the research firm was forced to reverse its original prediction due to a number of factors including slowing growth in emerging markets.

For 2013, the firm expects PC shipments to decline by 1.3 percent to 345.8 million units. Last year the market contracted by 3.7 percent. Desktops will be the biggest losers, seeing a 4.2 percent decline for the year. IDC predicts desktop sales will continue to fall at least until 2017.

Loren Loverde, VP of IDC's Worldwide PC Trackers group, says customers have not been wowed by new models, and competition from tablets and high-end smartphones continue to crush demand.

"Growth in emerging regions has slowed considerably, and we continue to see constrained PC demand as buyers favor other devices for their mobility and convenience features," says Loverde.

Additionally, the firm has somewhat soured on Windows 8 and its potential to boost the market.

Written by: Andre Yoskowitz @ 5 Mar 2013 23:43

Jeffrey_P

A lot has to do with youngsters not having the skill level they used to. Two thumbs will do everything except wipe their arse. Most don't know the difference between a CPU or GPU.

Lord help them if a one-on-one conversation is required.

6.3.2013 05:03 #1

Qliphah

I hate to say this but it looks like the PC is going to be a niche market in no time. Businesses and governments however should keep them around indefinitely. But that doesn't bode well for microsoft and their decidedly non-professional/business looking OS 8.

6.3.2013 10:00 #2

Interestx

I've tried tablets and in the end gave up on them.
They are impressive (to a point) but they are just so limited.

I now use a laptop for my travelling needs but even a laptop is so limited compared to even a half decent PC.

I can see a growing & compliamentary market for tablets (and fancy phones/phablets), I do not see the PC being replaced by them.

I'll still be looking for a new PC when this one starts lagging behind too much.
But there is the issue right there.
My current PC was a C2D 6700 I got in 2007 & which I updated to a quad 6700 & put more RAM in, a GTX480 graphics card & new hard drives in 2009.
It is getting on but hardly an antique & it's still 100% reliable.
I'm missing out on nothing as far as I can see.

I expect to replace it in the next 2yrs....but it'll have done me for about 8yrs at that stage.

People not changing for the sake of change & the mirage of practical benefit the latest minor change in spec gizmo is supposed to offer is at the heart of this one &, unless you're Dell or someone like that, it's no bad thing either, I think.

6.3.2013 12:35 #3

Bozobub

Quote:Additionally, the firm has somewhat soured on Windows 8 and its potential to boost the market. No, really?

lol

6.3.2013 14:02 #4

hearme0

NONSENSE........I've seen more peeps in recent times moving to the PC for gaming.

and......a 1.3% is half the normal "margin of error" so it's ridiculous to think these numbers mean anything significant for PCs.

Phoooey! People will almost certainly believe anything they hear.....shame! Sheeple

6.3.2013 14:41 #5

KillerBug

Windows 8 is great...all the new laptops with it fail to sell and get deep discounts...then people like us snap them up and put windows 7 or linux on them. I'm so tired of people bashing it just because it is slightly more useless than a blank hard drive.

Also, I think pc sales are gonna do real well after the ps4 and xhbox next are released at higher prices than better pcs, with games that cannot be rented.

6.3.2013 21:15 #6

Jemborg

Much of new PC gaming that's taken up might shift to the Steam Box which will be a Linux/openGL standardised PC based on the Xi3 modular PC series.

What I think is good news is that parts prices will have dropped when I build my next gaming pooter in a few months. Hey hey!

What do you guys reckon? Intel or AMD?

Its a lot easier being righteous than right.

7.3.2013 07:49 #7

Qliphah

Originally posted by KillerBug: Windows 8 is great...all the new laptops with it fail to sell and get deep discounts...then people like us snap them up and put windows 7 or linux on them. I'm so tired of people bashing it just because it is slightly more useless than a blank hard drive.

Also, I think pc sales are gonna do real well after the ps4 and xhbox next are released at higher prices than better pcs, with games that cannot be rented. Don't forget to even play the games you buy you'll need a super high speed connection with absolutely NO cap. The next Assassins Creed is said to be over 100GB.

7.3.2013 09:44 #8

joebloe12

The day they come out with a TABLET or PHONE that can play the newest GTA game in high definition video, let me know. But I do not think that day will come.

PC's will always be around because there are some things that a tablet simply cannot do and a PC can!

7.3.2013 23:37 #9

Digmen1

I am a great PC fan
I build my own and upgrade the mobo/cpu every few years.

I think they will decline as mom and dads current pc's fail will they replace it with a pc or a tablet?

But yes for businesses and graphic designers and gamers, then PC's will be around for a long time.

But I think the trend for more power etc will slow down as the mobo makers sell less, they will spend less on R&D.

8.3.2013 13:51 #10

dbleoh7

IMO, I believe it just comes down to "need" and the ability of the product to perform. I personally have two desktops, 1 laptop, an android tablet as well an an android phone. The point being is that each product is purposed. 1 desktop works as the HTPC. The other desktop is used to power through my applications that my laptop can't handle as quickly or comfortably. (I'm a photographer) ie, image processing, etc. leaving the laptop free for field work and light processing as well as fulfillment of sale orders and field demos. The pad is more for personal usage, with the exception of the ability to display a session to a consumer and light order processing.

What i'm saying is that the product dictates what I can do. Each have their pros and cons depending on the application i'm intending to use. Again, imo,, I seriously believe PC's as well as all of the other aforementioned items will as a matter of necessity, disappear and evolve into a product that can perform all of the tasks needed. The problem of course will always be pricing. I mean, it's not like the technology is not already there. It's just something that's just chosen to not be done by corporations because they would no longer be able to piecemeal these products to us.

Think of all the money that's being spent on the acquisitions, those purchases are spread out over time. If they were to roll out a product today that would address all of the consumer's wants or needs in an all in one product. They would call it a "PC" :-) The PC is an old business model that has seen it's day. Current emerging of newer product have demonstrated that. The traditional PC market scheme just no longer works. Consumers have now been given options. Options represent opportunity.

The diminishing PC market is a direct reflection of consumer usage. Consumers traditionally purchased a PC because they "had to" not really knowing why, some for gaming, some for school, some for reading, etc. but with more specialized product offering the need for the PC no longer remains relevant if the end consumer never really uses it for no other reason than what a more specialized item could accomplish.

The technology exists. It's already out there. portable touch screen computers are in operation today and can run just about any OS you can throw at it. But as we all know, costs of acquisition are prohibitive for most consumers. Manufacturers are "trying out" new offerings of tablet/laptops with detachable screens but they lighten up the offering by using an inferior processor which is supplemented with a "light" version of an operating system. WHY?

IDK.... Perhaps I'm rambling. But unless I misread something somewhere, The article means very little to me to know that PC sales have declined when the reason is because they (the manufacturers)are directly responsible for that decline with the development of their newer, more purposed product offerings. I mean. Their making it FFS. What else could have possibly been expected. But of course, what will happen now is that the news will be interpreted instead as a justification of forecast of declining job markets due to diminished demand, and redirecting our focus away from the profitable new emerging product lines....

Windows 8's current "failure" is in my opinion a deliberate hiccup designed to refocus consumer attention to the other emerging markets that will eventually allow for extinction of what we know today as the "PC" New operating systems will become the driving force for the "justification" of emerging, pricier products since they tried to "fix" the consumers "unknown problems" with their PC's. So, in other words, We broke it, now you (the consumer) can pay to fix it. OH. BTW.... "the new operating system won't work as well on your old PC".... Go figure!

As for those that don't believe that a corporation would never stoop to the level of designed loss of revenue because of the costs involved and market positioning, should ask themselves then how does a company (let alone any company) like Microsoft get fined seven hundred and thirty million dollars in EU, for in essence, blind siding consumers by not including choices of browser (as by stipulated agreement)to be able to sell their product there. Microsoft claimed "a technical error" and basically says, "Oops, you caught me, who do I make the check out to" Knowing full well the revenue realized up to the time they were caught, (since 2009) was still a revenue stream with the fine viewed as nothing more than an offset against the profit I loosely term "EARNED"

Anyways.... that's my 2 cents....

8.3.2013 16:32 #11

blueboy09

Quote: Loren Loverde, VP of IDC's Worldwide PC Trackers group, says customers have not been wowed by new models, and competition from tablets and high-end smartphones continue to crush demand.

Well, no shite Sherlock..err..Loren! This is to be expected with any tech that catches up with something that has been out, like PC's, for a while..Is the PC era dead man? No, just in decline, and is EXPECTED to be for quite some time... Now that tablets such as iPad has taken over by storm, it's gonna be a hell of a climb for the PC industry to get back to even, if it ever does, but it's not dead, not by a long shot!!

Chance prepares the favored mind. Look up once in a while and you might learn something. - BLUEBOY

8.3.2013 17:10 #12

joebloe12

Well people STILL have not explained how a TABLET is going to let you play a game like the newest GTA that would take WAY more power than a tablet could give?

Sorry, but I think in the gaming market, PC's will be around. I Cannot say for other markets, though.

@dbleoh7...I think you are REALLY reaching in your "conspiracy theory" without giving actual PROOF Microsoft are doing this.

9.3.2013 01:53 #13

xboxdvl2

its not to do wth skill level its to do with the uses of pcs.
most the women i know use the net for shopping and play basic fb games and watching movies (all can be done on a tablet.)
the men on the otherhand tend to be more gamers requiring a decent pc to play the latest hd games and converting movies.

my post will probably come accross as sexist but thats what i have noticed from personal experience.im sure theres are people that will disagree and there are plenty of people i havnt had personal experiences with.

i have the big screen tv,a ps3 and 5.1 channel surround sound.car still runs smooth and computer still works but its a bit outdated.

9.3.2013 02:25 #14

Jemborg

Originally posted by dbleoh7: Anyways.... that's my 2 cents.... My eyes hurt! :)

People seem to discount the GFC here... 99% are all tightening their belts. For example, I'm typing this on an oldish craptop on Win7 that's quite capable of most common tasks apart from gaming. Upgrading it to whatever would be nice but not on my list of priorities.

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Its a lot easier being righteous than right.

10.3.2013 01:32 #15

Michaelsterlingsonbe (unverified)

Wow
Huh
HmOriginally posted by Jemborg: Much of new PC gaming that's taken up might shift to the Steam Box which will be a Linux/openGL standardised PC based on the Xi3 modular PC series.

What I think is good news is that parts prices will have dropped when I build my next gaming pooter in a few months. Hey hey!

What do you guys reckon? Intel or AMD?

10.3.2013 12:16 #16

Jemborg

Originally posted by Michaelsterlingsonbe: Wow
Huh
HmOriginally posted by Jemborg: Much of new PC gaming that's taken up might shift to the Steam Box which will be a Linux/openGL standardised PC based on the Xi3 modular PC series.

What I think is good news is that parts prices will have dropped when I build my next gaming pooter in a few months. Hey hey!

What do you guys reckon? Intel or AMD?

Wow - it's what I've been reading
Huh - there should be a glut of PC componants in the next few months imo
Hm - yeah, I don't know either haha... been looking at AMD cpus lately...

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Its a lot easier being righteous than right.

10.3.2013 13:57 #17

Bozobub

Intel for overclocking performance, AMD for price-per-GHz, just like it has been for years.

10.3.2013 14:00 #18

Jemborg

Intel have not been so great for OCing lately.

Its a lot easier being righteous than right.

10.3.2013 14:07 #19

Bozobub

Really..? News on me. I'll have to look into that.

Intel is, however, going to have to backslide a LOT, before AMD comes close. But if you never O/C, AMD is probably still a better buy, dollar-for-dollar.

Frankly, I believe the biggest choice is between nVidia- and AMD-chipset mobos, which determines whether you use Crossfire or SLI. So, in other words, your graphics card choice determines your chipset, which determines your mobo.

10.3.2013 14:56 #20

Jemborg

Yep, 3rd gen iX cpus have not impressed those in OC forums. The "tock" cycle for some inexplicable reason is not as heat tolerant as the 2nd gen. So there is an anticipation as to the next "tick" to see if the change in architecture makes a diff... but 4th gen and associated boards would probably be out of my effective pricing.

Dunno if I can be stuffed OCing nowadays anyway. But wasted logic cores are an issue and if games aren't using all of them then maybe better to stick to Intel anyway.

It's interesting what you say about the chipsets and may be a real issue for gaming rigs.... I'll make sure I look into it. As far as Crossfire and SLI are concerned most Intel boards (I'd be interested in anyway) have Crossfire at least as it's cheaper to licence. Anyway, the card I'm using is a HD5970 dual GPU with Crossfire built in. It's inside a modded ducted mATX case so I can't be bothered adding more GFX cards.

Any new htpc's I build for clients (if the biz does not dry up) will probably be AMD tho as the on-chip gfx is superior as far as I'm concerned. Intel's has been a huge disappointment what with them being underpowered and incompatible with every second monitor and TV.

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Its a lot easier being righteous than right.

10.3.2013 22:24 #21

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