A recent report from the research firm Gartner shows that worldwide personal computer shipments plunged 9.5 percent from June 2014.
In the second quarter, 68.4 million PCs were sold worldwide, a visible decline from the 75.5 million units shipped in the same period last year.
Gartner researchers claim that a reason for the decline may be linked with price increases and inventory control expected to occur before the release date of Windows 10. The research team also said that this year’s second quarter results were the worst since 2013’s third quarter.
Analysts expected a 4.4 percent decline for personal computer shipments and hoped that the market would go back to normal by the end of the year. Reportedly, the context of the Windows 10 launch date is only temporary and won’t change the market’s structure, analysts report.
Gartner researchers announced that the PC industry is undergoing only a temporary decline, but by the beginning of next year it would return to a slow but steady growth.
Mikako Kitagawa, Gartner’s principal investigator, believes that the decline may be also linked to a stronger dollar and a subsequent hike in prices in some regions of the world where local currencies are not that strong.
“The price hike could hinder PC demand in these regions,”
Kitagawa added.
The analyst also said that last year’s boost in PC sales was mainly due to Microsoft’s announcement that it would no longer provide technical support to Windows XP users. But after the buying frenzy ended, no other driver was able to refresh the market, Ms. Kitagawa added.
Gartner researchers also believe that the PC shipments sank because the announcement of the Windows 10 launch during this year’s third quarter prompted businesses to wait for the roll out before upgrading their inventory.
Among the best selling brands, Lenovo is on top of the list with a 19.7 percent market share. HP boasts with a 17 percent market share, Dell with 14 percent, Asus and Acer with nearly 7 percent each.
In the U.S., PC shipments were down 5.8 percent from last year with only 15.1 million units sold. In the E.U., Africa and the Middle East, personal computer shipments stood at 18.6 million units, while in Asia the situation looked slightly better with more than 24 million units shipped and just a 2.9 percent decline.
On the other hand, Apple Inc fared better with a 16.1 percent growth. Analysts suggested that the hike in the company’s shipments was mainly due to MacBook Air and MacBook Pro hitting stores earlier this year.
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